I finally joined Equity this year [2011]. I say finally because I've been working in professional theatre for close to 10 years now.
The process started for me when I was in graduate school studying acting at Louisiana State University. We worked on a professional stage with Equity actors all the time, and that's when I started really learning about the union and its benefits. So, eventually I got that $100 to start my EMC process and I was off.