By Rhonda Brown

"I was in Los Angeles for years struggling as an actor and serving a lot of food. If you are thinking I look familiar, it's because I waited on you at Jerry's Famous Deli in Studio City. In 1999, I finally met a man who didn't get on my nerves, so I decided to marry him. Six months later he was transferred with his job to Denver, Colorado. I thought, "That's it! I will never act again, and I am for sure going to freeze to death!" When we got to Colorado, I read an audition announcement in the Denver Post for a play I had always wanted to do. I have been working steadily in theatre in Denver since that time.

"My decision to take my card was a deeply personal one. I had wanted to take it for years, but was always afraid. I am a member of another union, so I had the chance to join Equity through the sister clause. In 2006, I attended a panel discussion on the pros and cons of going Equity. The actor speaking on behalf of Actors' Equity was a gentleman named Marcus Waterman. He spoke with such pride about the union and said that being a member of Equity gave him integrity as a performer. I had kept the forms (already filled out) to join the union for eight months and that night on my way home, I wrote a check and put them in the mail. I wanted that integrity, also. I deserved to work for "more than gas money," as we all do. My closest friends and colleagues advised me against it, saying that as an actress over 40, it wasn't a smart choice, that it would limit my work, etc. I am proud to report that I haven't stopped working since I got my card. The integrity I feel is my confidence in knowing that I am a professional. I never really felt that before, and that brings tears to my eyes. We are professional members of Actors' Equity, regardless of where we live. Oh, and guess who's now done two plays with Marcus Waterman?"

Rhonda Brown holds a BA in Theatre Arts from Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. She was named top actress in the 2006 edition of Top of the Rockies in the Rocky Mountain News. She was also the recipient of the first annual Henry Lowenstein Award for best actress in a play for her performance in Bug at Curious Theatre Company, which also garnered her a Denver Post Ovation Award. Favorite plays include Almost, Maine, The Fourth Wall and Bug. She's also done TV and films and was a member of Theatre East in LA for 14 years. "