Lucia P. Hutchins-Dramatic Arts Educator & Theater Director

Born: September 1896, Boston, Massachusetts

Died: April 1984

Career Highlights

• A gifted and visionary drama teacher, Lucia P. Hutchins inspired generations of students at El Paso High School, where she taught English and Dramatic Arts from the late 1920s until her retirement in 1963.
• She directed countless school plays and community theater productions, blending classical works with modern comedies.
• In 1928, she was appointed Dramatic Director for the Little Theater of El Paso and instructor at the El Paso School for Girls. She staged productions such as George Bernard Shaw’s Arms and the Man and the one-act comedy Spreading the News, performed at civic events like the Kiwanis Club luncheon at Hotel Hussmann.
• Hutchins was a charter member and later president of the El Paso Players; she directed Three Men on a Horse, Arsenic and Old Lace, and Two Blind Mice, among others. She also acted in leading roles, including the female lead in Harvey.
• She guided both the Senior and Junior Dramatic Clubs at El Paso High, fostering talent in public performance, stagecraft, and cultural appreciation.

Education & Training

• Fitchburg High School (Massachusetts), Class of 1915.
• She studied elocution and dramatic arts at the Edith M. Herrick School of Expression (Boston) and later at the Leland Powers School (New York).
• She specialized in reading plays for women’s programs and often gave private acting lessons between professional theater seasons.

Professional & Teaching Experience

• Performed in three professional theater seasons and toured with Stuart Walker’s company, an influential American theater troupe of the early 20th century.
• Taught dramatics at Cushing Academy (Ashburnham, Massachusetts) and Lindenwood College (St. Charles, Missouri), where she helped stage centennial celebrations and historical pageants. Before fully dedicating herself to theater and education, worked in the dietetic department of a Jewish hospital, demonstrating her wide-ranging skill set.

Legacy & Influence

One of Hutchins’ most famous students was F. Murray Abraham, the Academy Award–winning actor, who credited her with changing the course of his life:

“I was a troubled kid until, when I was seventeen, a drama teacher, Lucia P. Hutchins, saw something in me and saved my life. My first play was The Old Lady Shows Her Medals by J. M. Barrie. I played a Scot in a kilt. Don’t ask me where the accent came from.”

Through discipline, vision, and compassion, Lucia P. Hutchins elevated performing arts in El Paso, strengthened community theater, and helped students find their voice, identity, and purpose—often when they needed it most.