PuSh Blog

PuSh Profiles – Board Members

November 26, 2012

PuSh Profiles is a new series where you can get to know the names and faces of the people that make this festival so great. 
Gayle Pastrick

* Who are you/ what do you do?

I’m an American immigrant awaiting my citizenship this coming year. I’ve worked as a creative director for several different ad agencies in Los Angeles over the past 30 years before relocating to Vancouver. 
I currently do freelance work in the States while trying to drum up business here.
* How long have you been involved with the PuSh Festival?
This is my first season on the PuSh board.
* How or why did you get involved with PuSh? 
A very close friend who currently sits on the board, Ron Lauenstein, encouraged me to get involved.
* What is your favorite memory of PuSh?
I’m looking forward to having many “favourite” memories after my first year of the festival.
* Which PuSh shows/ experiences have stayed with you?


Last year I attended the Mary Margaret O’Hara event and it was an unforgettable night on several levels. Bringing her out of the time warp was entertaining to say the least. However, the night wasn’t without other surprises. Norman’s alarming heart attack, mid way through the show, brought everything to a grinding halt. I didn’t know Norman at the time but I was praying, along with the rest of the audience, for him to have the strength to overcome. Fortunately Norman did recover, and I have the pleasure of getting to know him now as the vibrant force behind the PuSh Festival.

* What shows/events are you looking forward to at this year’s festival?
King Lear, Ride the Cyclone, Cedric Andrieux, I don’t know there are so many performances I look forward to seeing.
* Outside of PuSh what do you do with your time?
Along with the PuSh board I also sit on the West End Community Centre board and chair the Membership, Marketing & Volunteer committee. I take spin classes several times a week and try to get to 2nd Beach pool as many days a week as I can in the summer. And in the winter, I ski and snowshoe. Camping, hiking, whatever, I love taking advantage of all the outdoor activities I can year round in this beautiful province.
* What does ‘crossing the line’ mean to you?
It means taking risks and leaving my comfort zone. It means experiencing not only what I like, but what challenges my perceptions of what I think I won’t like. It’s about opening my mind wider to stimulate my own creativity.