I received my Equity card back in 2006 when I was cast as Matt in The Fantasticks at Portland Center Stage.
Before that I had diligently spent two years working as a Non-Equity actor, waking up early to audition with only the possibility of being seen at EPAs and ECCs. It meant the world to finally have that card in my hand and I remember kissing it several times when I first got it in the mail.
Getting my card proved to myself and to my parents (who wanted me to be a doctor) that I could receive all the benefits and protections a union provides and that I could continue pursuing my dream.
Portland ended up being an amazing experience. Besides being in a wonderfully diverse cast under the direction of our brilliant director Chris Coleman, I got to experience my first regional theater and fell in love with Portland.
Thank you to everyone at AEA for working on behalf of all of us.
