As pointed out in my last post, I’ve been cast as an understudy in Durango with the Silk Road Theatre Project.  This just so happens to be the first Equity show I’m going to do in Chicago; or so I thought.  Last Friday I got a phone call from Theatre Wit asking if I’d like to be in their upcoming production of Chemin De Fer (since retitled Feydeau-si-Deau) which goes up before Durango; they had an actor drop out and needed a replacement.  This is an Equity show as well and what’s even better; Wit takes part in the EMC program so I can earn some weeks towards joining Equity.  Thanks to the generosity of the folks at Silk Road I’ve been able to schedule both shows which will make for a busy but fulfilling summer.

I realize that the 4 or 5 suckers readers of this blog may have no idea how Equity works or even what it is.  Well it’s a bit too complicated to explain fully but in a nutshell Equity (or AEA) is the stage actors union in the US and there are a lot of benefits to joining.  By working with certain eligible theatre companies for a total of fifty weeks I can earn the right to apply for membership in the AEA; this process is called the Equity Membership Candidate Program (or EMC).  Just starting the EMC program gives me a few benefits on it’s own; mainly I’ll be seen before non-Equity members at any Equity audition.

I’m certainly not ready to join up yet but starting to fulfill those fifty weeks feels like a step in the right direction–and I might add, it’s a bit scary; progress always is.

In other news there’s a Lunar eclipse tonight and it’s beautiful.  Maybe it’s a herald of new things; maybe–as most ancient cultures thought–it’s a sign of impending doom.

Only time will tell.

(photo Luc Viatour)