Alumni
“Trading Spaces” Carpenter Serves as Important Role Model
Amy Wynn Pastor (’99 B.A. Theatre) never really thought she would be famous. While studying theatre at Penn State, she spent most of her time behind the scenes, building sets for School of Theatre productions. But in 2000, the carpentry skills she gained in college ultimately thrust her into the spotlight, when she landed a role as an on-camera carpenter on The Learning Channel’s new program, “Trading Spaces.” Since then, the self-professed Norm Abram fan has become a role model with an ardent fan base of her own, ranging from young girls to senior citizens, who admire Pastor’s carpentry skills, good nature and ideal combination of femininity and strength.
“I
never in a million years expected this [fame] to occur,” says Pastor. “But it’s a lot of
fun. I get a lot of satisfaction from my job.”
A native of Philadelphia, Pastor enrolled at Penn State with dreams of a career as a stage actor. She wanted to act so she could portray different characters—not so she could see her name in lights. But during her freshman year, she took a carpentry class that became a turning point. She discovered that she loved making things with her own hands. So she began to focus her efforts on building the sets where the actors performed, instead of performing there herself.
While a student, Pastor also worked as a stagehand at the Center for the Performing Arts, a job she calls an “incredible experience.” That position, combined with the connections she made during her time at Penn State, helped her land her first postcollege job, as a props supervisor for the national Broadway tour of Victor/Victoria.
Touring with a national Broadway production may sound glamorous, but Pastor—or Wynn, as she’s known to friends and on “Trading Spaces”—says it was very intense work that left no time to enjoy the cities she visited. An added challenge was being a woman in a male-dominated field. “I struggled at first as a female carpenter on the road [with Victor/Victoria]. Old union workers didn’t want to listen to me,” Pastor says. “But I had a strong sense of self from my years at Penn State.”
Mo Stroemel, assistant professor of theatre, played an important role in the development of Pastor’s self-confidence. “He’s the one who told me I could succeed as a woman in this industry—that I just had to prove myself. He taught me that my skills are what’s important.”
Pastor also praises John Geisz, technical theatre coordinator, for his teaching and the emotional support he offered to her and her classmates. “He was very integral in helping me become the carpenter that I am today. And he helped with personal things, too… He made sure we didn’t get overwhelmed.”
Geisz’s advice has helped Pastor deal with the pressures of appearing on a national TV program. She had auditioned for “Trading Spaces” at the urging of a friend and now is one of several on-air carpenters on the show, which tapes in locations across the country. She’s on the road at least two weeks a month and also fits in appearances ranging from home and garden shows to sporting events. When she’s not traveling, she lives in the Philadelphia suburbs with her husband, Shaun, whom she married in December 2003.
Although the hectic schedule and constant traveling can be stressful, Pastor says she’s grateful to be paid to do what she loves. “I can’t say it’s easy being away from home as often as I am, but I have come to accept it’s just a part of the job. In return, I get to go to some really cool places.” She recently traveled to Scotland for a special called “Trading Castles.”
On “Trading Spaces,” which is based on Britain’s “Changing Rooms,” two sets of neighbors exchange house keys and redecorate a room in each other’s home. Much of the focus is on the interaction between the show’s “cast” and the everyday folks whose homes undergo major—and sometimes shocking—renovations. There’s a twist, of course—the redecorating must be done in 48 hours, with a budget of a mere $1,000.
According to Pastor, the time constraints are most challenging. “I want to complete the design that the designers come up with, but sometimes the ideas are a bit too involved,” she explains. “I have to try and judge from the beginning what is realistic for me to complete in only two days,” she says, adding that the budget does not affect her as much as other team members because the designers set aside money for what they want her to build.
Pastor has come to enjoy her newfound fame, despite the lack of anonymity that comes with it. She says an unexpected benefit—but one that she embraces—is being a role model. “I didn’t think about the role model aspect until I started getting e-mails from mothers who told me their daughters admired me,” she explains, adding she is flattered when young girls tell her they want to be carpenters.
According to Pastor, those positive interactions with fans—and anyone else you encounter in the entertainment industry—are essential in order to achieve success. “One important thing in creating a name for yourself is making friends. You really have to show you can get along with people, although that can be difficult because the industry is so competitive,” she explains.
Today, barely five years after graduating from Penn State, Pastor has clearly heeded her own advice, as evidenced by her legions of fans and by the respect she has gained from her professional colleagues. But now that she’s “made it,” she only plans to work harder. “You must have a strong work ethic to succeed in this industry,” she says. “You need to show you’re always committed to doing your best work.”
Class Notes
Theatre
Steven Adler (’86 M.F.A.) became the provost of Earl Warren College at the University of California, San Diego, on July 1, 2004. Prior to his appointment as provost, he served as the vice chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance, as well as director of theatre and head of the M.F.A. program in stage management. He has been a faculty member at UCSD since 1987.
Marilyn McIntyre (’92 M.F.A.) played Tess in the West Coast premiere of Keith Bunin’s The Credeaux Canvas at the Victory Theatre Center in Los Angeles. The show’s initial one-month run was extended an additional month due to high ticket demand that resulted in many sold-out evenings.
In May 2004, Back Stage Books published Mary Lou Belli (’78 B.A.) and Phil Ramuno’s The Sitcom Career Book. Complete with foreword written by Henry Winkler, their book offers an insider’s guide on how to launch a career in the television sitcom industry—in front of or behind the camera.
Visual Arts
Norma Glenn (’57 B.S. and ’59 M.Ed. Art Ed.) remains active in the community of Duquesne, Pa., where she recently joined the Women’s Club and also serves on the local board of conservation.
Darlene Dintino Large (’59 B.S. Art Ed.) was profiled in the May/June 2004 issue of The Penn Stater magazine for her work with Homes of the Indian Nation (HOINA), a not-for-profit organization she established in 1972 to aid needy children in India. Large maintains strong Penn State ties through her organization, including a program that involves Schreyer Honors College students who spend a summer in India teaching HOINA children. More information about HOINA is available at www.hoina.org.
Nancy “NED” (Dengler) Carville (’62 B.S. Art Ed.) retired from her position as an art educator with the West Chester Area School District in 2003. She continues to work as an equine and wildlife artist, and is also state certified in historic rehabilitation. She and her husband, James, live in Exton, Pa.
Harry Anderson’s (’66 M.F.A. Sculpture) work was featured in a solo exhibition at the Snyderman-Works Galleries in Philadelphia during July 2004. The show, titled Harry Anderson—Lamps and Installations, featured sculpture made with found objects dating from the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s.
Cynthia Nixon (’74 M.Ed. Art Ed.) was the featured artist at del Mano Gallery in Los Angeles from June 19 through July 31, 2004.
Jill Simonsen (’93 B.A.) recently began working as a freelance designer and painter in New York City. She is currently working on several projects and has established a Web presence at www.jillsimonsen.com.
Erin Furimsky (’97 B.F.A) and Tyler Lotz (’98 B.F.A. Ceramics) are now married and living in Bloomington, Il. Erin teaches at Heartland Community College in Normal, Il., and was a resident artist at the Oregon College of Art and Craft this past spring. Tyler is a tenure-track assistant professor at Illinois State University and spent the summer of 2003 as a resident artist at the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, Mont.
Walter Barrueto (’98 B.A. Graphic Design) is the creative director for A&A Global Industries in Cockeysville, Md.—a manufacturer and distributor of gumball machines and the toys they dispense. He says his job “is to think like an 8-year-old child.” Walter and his wife, Penny, live in Hampstead, Md., and are expecting their first child in December.
Dominique (Dalbo) Love (’01 B.A.) lives with her husband, James, in Tampa, Fla., where she is a K-8 art instructor at the Roland Park School. She spends her free time working with non-profit organizations such as the Florida Aquarium and the University of South Florida’s Area Community Center.
