Worker at Irwin's Lamp Theatre back after long layoff

Editor’s note: Neighbor Spotlight is a monthly feature that aims to let our readers learn more about the people in their communities who are working to make them a better place, who have interesting stories to tell or who the community feels deserve “15 minutes of fame.” If you would like to nominate someone as a Neighbor Spotlight, see norwinstar.com, select the “Post Story” button in the upper right corner and complete the form to publish your nomination. Questions? Email Neighborhood News Network editor Katie Green at kgreen@triblive.com.

Andrea Cartwright is officially back to work at The Lamp Theatre in Irwin as an employee and not just a volunteer.

“It’s great to be back,” said Cartwright, who goes by “Andi,” the theatre’s marketing and business manager, who continued to work with volunteers on projects during the lengthy covid shutdown.

“I can’t put my mind at rest,” Cartwright, 56, said last week as she prepared for the first indoor show since the pandemic restrictions.

During the time off, she and several volunteers worked on remodeling the Lamp’s basement, where performers rested before hitting the stage.

The space was “gross” both in appearance and decorations, Cartwright said.

“Andi has such a creative mind,” said Linda Kovach, a volunteer who helped renovate the space.

Cartwright was among the hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians who lost their jobs last year because of covid-related restrictions. Gov. Wolf ordered entertainment facilities to close in March 2020 in an effort to stop the spread of the virus.

Cartwright, who lives in nearby White Oak, did not hesitate to return to work, despite it being the kind of job that requires weekend shifts.

“My weekends are not my weekends. They belong to the job,” Cartwright said.

She was hired at the Lamp in September 2019, so she was just getting accustomed to the pace of the theatre when it closed in March 2020.

Cartwright brought experience to the Lamp as she coordinated and marketed events for five years at the Sunset Room, an Elizabeth Township banquet hall. She helped plan weddings, which gave her the experience of dealing with individuals under stress, and the invariable last minute snafus that arise.

“I like people and I like to plan things,” Cartwright said, explaining why the jobs appealed to her.

She spent 22 years working in customer service at the former H.J. Heinz Corp. offices in Pittsburgh. While she lost her job when a Heinz successor company pulled its office from Pittsburgh, Cartwright said it was a blessing in disguise.

She takes the unpredictability of her current job in stride, realizing it is not 9-to-5.

“I realized I was not an office person,” she said.