BWW SPECIAL FEATURE: How I Got My Equity Card - by Brian Stokes Mitchell

BroadwayWorld.com is proud to present its newest weekly feature, presented in association with and to celebrate the importance of the Actors' Equity Association. "AEA" or "Equity", founded in 1913, is the labor union that represents more than 48,000 Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. Equity seeks to advance, promote and foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of our society. Equity negotiates wages and working conditions and provides a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans, for its members.

Check back weekly for new entries from stars of stage and screen on how they got their Equity cards!

In high school in San Diego I had been working "semiprofessionally" in a number of different theatres around town.

In my senior year I played the part of "Lamar" in GODSPELL at the Old Globe Theatre. Shortly after graduating, the actor who played Jesus in GODSPELL, called me to tell me that he was going to be the Resident Director for the San Diego Company of the "12th Night Repertory Company" -a multicultural improvisation performance group that also had companies in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

He wanted to know if I would be interested in auditioning for them. He told me that at first it was going to be a non-equity gig, but if all went well after a few months I would be able to get my Equity card AND transfer to the Los Angeles Company.

It was a no-brainer decision for me and sure enough in a short time I was on my way to beginning my acting career in Los Angeles with my Equity card in hand!

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Photo Credit: Peter James Zielinski