Zeb Hults ‘01 was sure he wanted to be an actor when he entered the Interdisciplinary Arts Program at Ship. But when the program gave him the opportunity to “participate in all things art”, he quickly began to realize the strong connection between verbal, visual, musical and performative expression.
Active in the campus community as a student, Hults was a Madrigal singer, and acted in many student theatre productions. Those activities, along with course work in pottery, piano, art history, writing and directing, gave him the tools he needed to create his own art for a living.
And much like his academic experience at Ship, his career has allowed him to sample and explore the wide range of the artistic experience.
“I’ve traveled all over the country installing huge seasonal displays in casinos and corporate offices. I’ve been the project manager for the Victoria’s Secret fashion show in New York. I’ve seen myself acting on TV and have been the master carpenter for Off-Broadway shows. I’ve even created furniture. I have been given the ability to stay connected to the arts in one way or another. I owe it to my time at Ship.”
Today, Hults is the assistant technical director of the University of Minnesota Theatre Arts and Dance Department in Minneapolis and the technical director for Penumbra Theatre in St. Paul. He continues his “all things art” approach by freelancing in dance, theatre, and art collaboration and has event taught high school theatre courses.
“I truly believe that the arts-based curriculum and the professors shaped who I am today and why I do what I do. And now theatre education is a great way to share what I’ve learned with future artists,” he said.
