Starring Abby!

“Stevens has brought me a lot of really cool opportunities and some of my best friends in the world,” said Abby Hulse, a third-year Chemical Biology major from Manchester, NJ. Much of her campus involvement at Stevens revolves around the performing arts. She is an active member of the Stevens Dramatic Society (SDS), President’s Ensemble, Choir, and is a sister of Theta Phi Alpha. Abby is a woman of many talents — she has been involved as an actor, costume designer, production manager, and social media manager. She is currently in this semester’s production of The Drowsy Chaperone and is also co-costume designer. In her free time, Abby enjoys listening to music, playing piano and ukulele, watching Netflix, singing, seeing Broadway shows, hanging out with friends, and exploring Manhattan.

Abby started singing when she was in kindergarten. “I decided I wanted to join my church’s youth choir, not because I wanted to sing, but because I wanted to wear the choir robes they wore,” she recounts. “I sang with my church choirs from kindergarten until I left for college, and sometimes I’ll sing with them when I go back home.” In sixth grade, she started theater. “When I got to middle school, I decided I wanted to join a club, so my dad encouraged me to join the drama club because of my love for singing,” she explained. With her parents’ support, Abby stuck with drama club and ended up joining her town’s community theatre program. She adds, “I’ve been involved in theatre ever since then.”

When Abby was in high school, she wanted to be involved in the drama club but was also on the bowling team, and being on the team conflicted with rehearsals. She ended up making a compromise and chose the bowling team over the drama club and joined her community theatre in the summer. She adds, “But as much as I loved bowling, a part of me really wished I could have been in the shows at my high school. When I started college, I decided I’d make up for what I missed out on in high school by getting more involved in the arts here.”

Abby admits, “I’m involved in a lot here at Stevens, and at times, it can be really hard to balance everything. Time management is crucial. Google Calendar and Wunderlist have helped me keep track of all the things I have to get done and all the places I have to be.”

Along her musical journey, Abby has had many inspirational and encouraging people by her side, especially her parents. She says, “My dad was the one who taught me to sing, and he passed his love of theatre on to me. Both of my parents have been incredibly supportive of every single thing I’ve done (both in performing arts and life in general), and I can’t thank them enough for that.” She adds, “I learned so much about acting from two directors I’ve worked with at Stevens — Mark Cirnigliaro and Bethany Reeves — and I’m really grateful to have had the opportunity to work with them.”

Some of Abby’s favorite shows include Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 and Once on this Island. She also has come to enjoy the soundtrack from The Bridges of Madison County, saying, “The score is absolutely gorgeous.” In addition to her love of showtunes, she also likes to listen to classic rock, especially The Beatles, The Eagles, Billy Joel, and Pink Floyd, as well as singer-songwriter/pop like Ed Sheeran, 5SOS, Kacey Musgraves, Shawn Mendes, and Little Mix.

If she could play the lead in any show, Abby would choose Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof, Rose in Dogfight, and Natasha in Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812. At Stevens, she has already been able to play two of her dream roles — the Baker’s Wife in Into the Woods and Wendla in Spring Awakening.

With two years left at Stevens, Abby has big goals after graduation. She hopes to work as a forensic chemist. She adds, “That’s the practical goal. I’d also love to be on Broadway, but the odds of that actually happening are pretty slim.”

Some Performing Arts events coming up:
– The Drowsy Chaperone on April 4 at 9 p.m., April 5 at 8 p.m., and April 6 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
– The DeBaun Voice Recital on April 12 at 7 p.m.
– The Stevens Choir Concert on May 4 at 8 p.m.