BWW SPECIAL FEATURE: How I Got My Equity Card - by Aaron Lazar

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!

It was summertime and I was headed to work at the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera! I had just finished my first year of graduate school at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and was looking forward to putting my musical theatre training to use on stage in a production of BYE, BYE BIRDIE starring Rue McClanahan. We opened in Cleveland actually and it was there that I first met Barrett Foa (my roommate that summer), and a bunch of young actor friends who have all gone on to great success (including Celia Keenan-Bolger and Daniel Reichard).

We had a BLAST in Cleveland and later in Pittsburgh where following the run of BIRDIE, I played other featured roles in the ensemble of PCLO's productions of WEST SIDE STORY and GRAND HOTEL. GRAND HOTEL was a touring production coming in starring Ed Lyndeck (Orig. Role of Judge Turpin in SWEENEY TODD). SWEENEY TODD was the first musical I ever saw that got me hooked on dreaming of a career in the theatre back in high school. So, to know I'd be sharing the stage with Ed was an incredible thrill!

I also remember the thrill of getting my first paycheck and thinking, "I can't believe I'm getting paid to have so much fun!" My employment at PCLO earned me my Equity card and I quickly joined the Union at the start of my second and final year at CCM.

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