By Joanna Gleason

It was 1972, could have been 1973…could have been 1873…and there were open auditions for equity members for a production of PROMISES, PROMISES at the Woodminster outdoor theatre in Oakland, California. I had just starred in a production at the Long Island Beach Civic Light Opera, but it was non-Equity. The auditions were in Oakland at the theatre.

I flew myself up on a twenty-nine dollar round trip flight, took a cab to the theatre in the woods somewhere, got lost, wound up on the campus of Mills College, asked, as fate would have it, a passing theatre buff where the theatre might be, got directions, got half the fare taken off, and made it as the last to audition. As I was singing, a gnat flew into my throat.

It went well. I told them I was Equity. Big Lie. They said, okay, it's yours. I flew home with the Xerox of my contract (right then and there) and went to Equity to join.

1873 was the Girl Scouts, I'm pretty sure.

Joanna Gleason (Muriel Eubanks). Broadway: DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS (Tony Nomination, Drama Desk Nomination, Outer Critics Circle Nomination), NICK AND NORA, INTO THE WOODS (Tony Award, Best Actress; Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award), SOCIAL SECURITY (Drama Desk Award), JOE EGG (Tony Nomination), THE REAL THING, I LOVE MY WIFE (Theatre World Award), also won the Clarence Derwent Award.

Off-Broadway: THE NORMAL HEART, Worth Street Theatre, Public Theatre; JOE EGG, Roundabout Theatre; ELEEMOSYNARY, Manhattan Theatre Club; IT'S ONLY A PLAY, Manhattan Theatre Club (Drama Desk Award); A HELL OF A TOWN, Westside Arts Theatre.

Film: Hannah and Her Sisters, Crimes and Misdemeanors, Heartburn, FX2, Life Under Water, Boogie Nights, Fathers and Sons, Edie and Pen, Road Ends, Mr. Holland's Opus, The Wedding Planner. TV: "Love and War," "Oh Baby," "the West Wing," "ER," "The Practice," "Tracey Ullman," "Better."