Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1502512
approaches to my work, or maybe I'm reading about an artist that inspires me. They help me remember why I love doing this in the first place, which is the craft itself. ME: With "Oklahoma!", you were traveling. How was that? The good and the bad. SH: It was really a challenge. In venue- to-venue, you have a different sound system, different setups. The auditorium looks different. Everywhere you go, your backstage is different, even where your quick changes happen, or where the microphones are set up. If you're doing the same show every night on Broadway, there's a lot more consistency in what's happening. I also didn't have friends and family close by. When you're on the road, you only know the people connected to your production. And then you're going home to a different hotel every week. What bed? Where is the ice machine? Can I get food after the show or not? What kind of city am I in? Is it a walking city – am I walking home? Or is it a car city – I've got to meet the car after the show? It's just a lot of variables. ME: It needs to feel like home, but you have to take it everywhere with you. SH: There were things that I kept in my tour bag, I found this collapsible tea kettle, because I love making tea. So I would travel with a blend of tea, or I would collect tea. That was a fun thing; I would find different teas in different cities, looseleaf tea. I would carry it with me and always have tea to brew in the morning. No matter where I was, I talked to my mama, I talked to my best friend, and I did telehealth therapy every week, and that's super grounding. ME: Would you recommend a traveling Broadway show for your professional debut? Or would you recommend just diving straight into Broadway? SH: When you're first starting out, you're kind of just throwing things at the wall to see what sticks. You can be very open to a lot of different experiences. I would say don't shut yourself off to it, but don't only pursue that. When you're first starting out, be open there. It's an exciting time. ME: What does it mean to represent Macon on Broadway? SASHA HUTCHINGS AT HUTCHINGS FUNERAL HOME IN MACON, A HISTORIC DOWNTOWN BUSINESS OWNED BY HER FAMILY SINCE 1895. JUNE/JULY 2023 | maconmagazine.com 51