How does a person join the Actors Equity Association?

Answer 1

This should help:

http://www.actorsequity.org/membership/howtojoin.asp

Answer 2

By and large, there are two paths to AEA membership:

1) You get cast in a featured role in an AEA production; the casting itself creates you as a member. Normally, they'll allow you to make some sort of a down-payment towards your total membership fee, and you can pay the remainder in installments. From that point forward, a certain amount would be deducted from your paycheck for AEA benefits (health insurance, pension, etc.)

2) You join the Equity Membership Candidacy program. You pay a start-up fee, and then you collect weeks toward the ultimate goal, which I believe is a total of 50. You earn a week for every week that you're employed (in a non-union capacity) by an AEA-affiliated theatre. When you hit the 50-week total, you're eligible to buy your way into the union. If this is the route you choose (and I recommend it for all young/inexperienced actors, even if they think they might one day get into the union the other way), make sure that the theatre you're planning to work for is affiliated with AEA, and is able to award you weeks toward membership as part of the EMC program.