I received my Equity Card after being cast as the frst actor on the spectrum to play Christopher in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time at Indiana Repertory Theatre and Syracuse Stage, which also made me one of the first actors on the spectrum to play any autistic character ever.
I had always loved circus skills since I was seven or eight years old and got my start in theatre when the Seattle Opera needed a stilt walker to play an ostrich in The Magic Flute. I showed up to audition as a 50 lb., eight-year-old stilt walker, but the costume was for an adult and easily weighed more than I did. Needless to say, I didn’t get that role, but I went on to do more than ten shows with the Seattle Opera. I then did dozens of shows as an Equity Membership Candidate at other theatres, and when I got cast to play Christopher Boone in The Curious Incident, I paid my dues and joined this amazing and wonderful union.
Originally published in Equity News, Autumn 2017.
