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up to the challenge of playing a leading man. And that's kind of something I'm itching to do again, but obviously, in a different way. I think there's something to be said about playing the funny friend, or a supporting character, which I love doing, and I think I can inhabit really well. You rarely get to flex every single muscle you have as a performer. And I think more than anything, that production, I realized that I had a voice. All throughout high school, every move that I made was in order to pursue it professionally. JC: Did you feel that we had prepared you well for that experience? GH: Oh, absolutely. I remember going to school feeling prepared because I had a lot of confidence from getting to play these leading roles. Being a big fish in a little pond is one thing, but then going to Carnegie Mellon and being that big fish with a bunch of other big fish was humbling. But I was lucky at CMU, because I was different than anyone else in my class. And that's sort of been the narrative for me ever since. I don't fit a mold, or any sort of carbon copy of a character archetype. But I was lucky that I was different. From then on out, I was lucky to find these jobs that fit my unique, specific abilities. I think it is the thing that I'm most proud of: I have really banked on being uniquely myself. JC: I want to segue into the first real jumping off place for you. That was Book of Mormon. It was the first national tour of the biggest Broadway production in the country at the time. What was that like for you? GH: At the time, it wasn't scary at all, because I was 22. I was 22, and I was fearless. Jeez, if I could be that fearless now. I had never done anything that long before. And it's almost the antithesis of creativity. Trying to recreate something and make it seem authentic hundreds of times. I did "The Book of Mormon", in total, 1600 times. And after two years on the road, they call asking, "Will you please go play the role on Broadway?" How am I going to turn down my Broadway debut? I get to move to New York with a job. I said yes, and I did the same role for two extra years, but in New York. In total, I did that show for four years. You start playing mind games. The adrenaline created at the beginning of anything carries you through. Once that dies down, and the spectacle is gone, your brain needs something new to latch on to, so it finds anxiety where there once was adrenaline. I found I was really anxious as a performer after doing something for way too long. JC: I've never heard it explained so well. By contrast, how exciting was the experience to go into "Mean Girls", and be able to have complete freedom to create Damian on Broadway? GH: I got to work with Tina Fey, who was an idol of mine. We watched that movie nonstop and knew every line. There was a lot of pressure in trying to bring that to the stage. But as we started rehearsals, we all realized that when you make these characters sing and dance, they're going to be different. My Damian became much more of a theater queen, and more of a showman. JC: I think it's appropriate with June being Pride Month. I remember standing backstage after seeing "Mean Girls" with you. And you made the remark about having made a career so far of playing tap dancing, gay teenagers. I hope you remember my response to you. I said that you found the humanity in them, and you made those tap dancing, gay teenagers very important to thousands of teenage kids in those show. GH: It's what has been so rewarding about meeting these kids at the stage door, who now are doing productions of "Mean Girls" playing Damian. And it's I look at them, and they are me. That's what I looked like when I was in high school trying to play Curly in "Oklahoma!", and now they get to play Damian. I try to inject all of Grey Henson into them, and Grey Henson is not a stereotype. I am a person who happens to be gay. And there's a lot about me that is flamboyant and silly and fun. But like also very deep, complex, sad, emotional person. I could transform. I want to play deep, dark, scary. I want to surprise people with what I can do. Right? I'm a trained actor. But I also celebrate the fact that I keep getting asked to play parts that are basically just me getting to exist on stage, because that representation hasn't always existed. JC: Where do you go from here? Where do you hope to go? What would you like to say to the kids to teenagers in Macon and everywhere about doing following careers in theater? GH: You really never know where your career is going to go as a professional. And then about Macon. I'm so proud to say I'm from Macon. I love that it is the downtown area has evolved and is being taken care of because it's such a special place. I am such a nostalgic person. And I so fondly think of my adolescence in Macon and especially my time in all these theaters. Whenever I'm feeling anxious or down or uninspired, I tried to just think of the person who was doing "Les Mis" or "The Pajama Game" or "Member of the Wedding" in Macon. I try to think, it was just what he loved to do. Not just for actors or young performers, you have to just find what makes your heart race and brings you joy and makes you excited, and then follow that thing. For me, it was theater. And I think if you have doubt, or if there's ever a question whether it will happen – we have moments of weakness and fear, and we face setbacks – but at your core, you have to know: "This my calling." I have to thank a lot of people for encouraging that. But it starts and ends with you. You have to have the right space where you can flex all those muscles. And I think Macon is such a beautiful place for that. JC: And we're growing and we're getting better. It amazes me and I've been so thrilled to be a part of that. And, and more than that to have had the opportunity to have been a part of the lives of people like you. Sasha Hutchings and Melanie Emory ME: What are you currently doing, other than auditioning? SH: Well, auditioning doesn't feed my soul. One TV show just premiered around the world, and there are other shows that I filmed or are being pitched. But the reality is that my day-to-day consists of a lot of auditions and keeping up my training. It's a lot of maintenance. To feed my soul, I have to retrain myself, to learn. I learn from books about 50 maconmagazine.com | JUNE/JULY 2023