Camber Carpenter ’08 has been living and working in New York City for the past decade, but the actor and comedian hasn’t forgotten her Midwestern roots.
In fact, Carpenter serves as an unofficial “ambassador for the Midwest here in New York,” posting comedic videos on social media that feature her take on “How to Midwest.” She offers lessons and insights on regional quirks, such as saying goodbye, apologizing, weather and salad. And plenty of the skits ring true.
“So I married a guy from Boston. … There are stereotypes, I think, both ways. I just like to share that we’re all human. Lifestyles are different, and that leads to some different ideas as to what people are like. They’re not always true, but they’re funny,” she said.
Carpenter grew up in Jacksonville, Illinois, and family connections brought her to South Dakota State University. Later, her experiences through SDSU led her to New York City.
Carpenter’s grandparents lived near Flandreau, which meant twice-a-year trips to South Dakota for Christmas and the Fourth of July that included visits to the “big city” of Brookings. Coming back here for college meant she could be closer to them.
Her mother, Sandra (Sheppard) Carpenter, is a 1968 SDSU grad, and her brother, Tyler Carpenter ’04, and aunt, uncle and cousin—Sonja Sheppard ’88, David Sheppard ’71 and Dillon VanHolland ’19—are alumni as well. Camber Carpenter graduated from State in 2008, with degrees in English and French.
Carpenter always had an interest in performance, being active in theater and music back in Jacksonville. While at SDSU, she performed with The Pride of the Dakotas and was in a State University Theatre production of “Cabaret,” as well as a couple shows with Brookings Community Theatre. Her college career also included a year studying French and English as an exchange student at Hunter College in New York City and acting in her first off-off-Broadway show.
She moved to Chicago after graduation, but her acting career took off about three months later, when she headed to Hong Kong for 2 1/2 years and then to Italy for another seven months, performing in educational children’s theater.
Back in the U.S., after about six months in Minneapolis, Carpenter moved to New York City and has been there ever since. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Peter Lemiszki, and their 1-year-old daughter, Lucy.
In the past decade, Carpenter has used her skills in performance and language in a variety of settings.
“I feel like I wear a lot of hats right now, but the dream is being an actor and comedian. Now Mom is up there as one of my new jobs, and I’m also a tour guide in New York City. I get to meet lots of different people from across the country and use a lot of my acting skills. I tell stories about the city instead of just reciting facts,” she said. Her resume also includes film and television commercials.
Carpenter studied improv with the Upright Citizens Brigade comedy theatre and training center in NYC and has done a little bit of stand-up comedy. She has performed in off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway plays and also posts her comedic videos online via her social media channels, including YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. That helps with exposure and working on her craft.
Her plans for the future include more work in theater, television and film. Carpenter appeared in a production of “Nunsense” in February and is performing in the premiere of a new musical in March.
Carpenter said her year spent as an SDSU exchange student in New York City contributed to her wanting to return later in life to pursue her acting career. She’s also thankful for all the professors who influenced and guided her while she was at South Dakota State.
“I think I had no idea what I was going to do when I graduated. … It feels good to be able to do theater now, even though it’s not a full-time job,” she said.
“In this type of career, you don’t have a lot of control over the outcomes. You can control your preparedness, but you can’t control the decisions that are made,” she said.
Learn more about Carpenter and view her work at cambercarpenter.com.
Jill Fier
