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Chrishell Stause, a 2003 MSU theatre graduate, will make her debut on ABC’s "All My Children" May 4-5. A Marshall County native since 1994, Stause will make her appearance as Amanda Dillon, daughter of Trevor and Janet Dillon. Amanda, last seen on the show when she was eight, is returning to Pine Valley as a teenage girl last. Her love interest is JR Chandler, played by Jacob Young.

David Balthrop, chair of MSU Theatre and Dance Department, said Chrishell came to Murray State with a mission. “She wanted to be on television and she wanted to do soaps,” he said. “She was focused and had a goal and pushed towards it for four years.”

Stause, who after graduating from MSU moved to Los Angeles to try her skills at acting, has recently relocated to New York after learning she was cast in “All My Children.” “After auditioning for the role in Los Angeles I was then flown to New York for a screen test,” she said. “It’s a dream come true. I used to rehearse saying my name into the camera as a child and it was a surreal experience when I filmed that portion for the show and I turned my head to the camera.”

As a theatre student, Stause said she firmly believes that her education at Murray State provided a solid foundation to prepare for an acting career. “Because of Murray State ’s size, I was able to receive more one-on-one time with my instructors and also more stage time,” she said. “This isn’t necessarily the case at larger institutions. Most theatre students have to fight for stage time.”

Stause is excited that she was granted this role so quickly after graduation. The determination she exemplified while a student by paying for her education through financial aid assistance and waitressing at local eateries in Murray are just a portion of the qualities Balthrop witnessed in Stause. “My first impression of Chrishell was a good one,” he said. “She was talented, beautiful and highly charged to make her goals come true.”

Prior to moving to New York , Stause stayed in contact with W. Earl Brown and his wife, Carrie, also MSU graduates. Earl, currently portraying Dan Dority on the HBO “Deadwood,” series and and Carrie, a free-lance writer and executive assistant with R & B Realty, offered their friendship to Stause when she moved to California.

Earl even provided Stause with advice on the Hollywood industry. “I met him when I was a theatre student at MSU,” Stause said. “When I moved out to Hollywood I maintained contact with Earl and his family. I had quite a few questions about being a member of the Screen Actor’s Guild if I was hired as an extra and Earl offered great advice.”

Stause said Earl was one of the first persons she contacted and told she had been hired with “All My Children.” “I was so excited to let him know!”

Brown said it was an incredible gamble that Stause took moving to LA immediately upon graduation and the success she has found in a nine-month time frame qualifies her as an 'overnight success' in Hollywood. "Having once been that 'country kid movin' to the Big City,' I know that it isn't an easy thing to do. The fact that she is able to now make a living as an actress is an incredible feat to accomplish having only been here for less than a year," Brown said. "It couldn't have happened to a sweeter and more deserving person. I am happy for her and proud of her."

Stause also conveyed her exciting news to her parents, Jeff and Renae Stause in Benton, Ky. , and also her grandmother, Donna McCormick in West Plaines , Mo. “They have all been excited for me,” she said. “When I called my grandmother and told her the news and that I would have my own dressing room, she didn’t stay on the phone too long with me. She wanted to call all her friends that watch soaps.”

The move to New York City was an eventful trip for Stause. Prior to her agent arriving to New York to assist her in selecting an apartment, “All My Children” picked up the tab to house Stause in a Penthouse type of hotel. “When I walked in and saw the couch I thought it made into a bed,” she said. “It took me a few minutes to realize that the bedroom was in another area and I was standing in the sitting area. It is a surreal experience”

Balthrop said Stause will be very successful in her career. “She is a dynamic performer and I would not be surprised if she turns the heads of directors and producers in the business.”