Bucket Listing

It's been a pretty good couple weeks here in my adobe. After years of waiting, I finally got my Actors Equity card. (Actually, haven't quite received the card yet, but they tell me it's in the mail).

Growing up in theatre Equity was a mixed bag. A healthy envy flowed freely upstream from us uninitiated to those pro's. Acting school was great, but acting for money was the endgame. The union was a sign of accomplishment. You made it.

Of course, bucket lists don't always reflect the truth. The truth is no actor ever "makes it." We're always striving to do the thing we can not live without for a living. I often wonder if accountants feel the same way. Do numbers curry that allure? But, I digress.

I met a wonderful woman in acting school. A terrific actor. An Equity actor about a decade my senior. She pulled out her card to show me, sighed and said, "I'd cut it up if I could. It's kept me from so many jobs." This was immediately after she regaled me with tales of the road and traveling companies. I was stunned. (I'll paraphrase the rest. Acting school was a long time ago). She wouldn't, of course, because Equity was the only way to make real money. But, it came with a price. Having to turn down low paying, quick turn around non-union gigs that come and go in a hurry. I understood. She wanted her cake and to eat it too. Don't we all.

I made up my mind there and then that someday, despite the friendly warnings of my teachers, that I would be Equity! A real pro.

Now, years later, I find a comfort in this association. Auditions are coming pretty quickly and it feels great. Of course, I still see myself as an actor who wants to do film. But, hey, stage is good too!

Speaking of, I just finished a job dubbing a foreign language television series. It was a blast and I'll tell you more about it when the non-disclosure lets me.

Have a meeting with my agent in half an hour. Gotta go. Blessings.