BWW SPECIAL FEATURE: How I Got My Equity Card - by Michele Lee

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!

"The first audition I ever went on was in 1960 at the Ivar Theatre in Hollywood. I was accompanied by my mother at the instruction of my father. "You have to learn how to take rejection if you really want to be an actor', he said. He had to eat his own words. I got the job.

VINTAGE 60, a review, was very successful in Los Angeles. I made $15.00 a week on an Equity waiver contract. David Merrick took it to Broadway where it wasn't so successful. It lasted eight performances.

My Father got his wish. I learned about rejection. And I got my wish. I became a member of Actors' Equity. I was 17 years old. "

Click Here for More Entries in BroadwayWorld.com's New Series "How I Got My Equity Card"