Macon Magazine

SH: Mac-Town. I love it. I love it. ME: Do you get any backlash for your Southern drawl or anything like that? SH: Literally never. That's the wonderful thing about Broadway; people are from everywhere. One of my very good friends now, I remember just sitting and listening to her talk, and I was like, "Where are you from?" And she said, "Atlanta, Georgia." And I was like, "I knew you were from Georgia." I just could hear it in her voice. That's really fun. You know, Grey Henson is on Broadway. F. Michael Haynie's on Broadway. There's so many people from Macon here in New York, and even in our community on Broadway. So it's just really cool to see how big the world can be, and then how small it can be all at the same time. Macon just has this legacy of music and entertainment and arts. And I, when I'm when I mention Macon, specifically – not just Georgia. When I mention Macon specifically, you'd be so surprised at how many people know Macon or know someone from Macon. I was in an audition last week, and my partner in the audition was from Macon. He went to Westside High School. I've lived in apartment complexes where one of the maintenance staff was from Macon and knew my family, his family knew of my family. I bought the apartment I'm in now. My realtor – he saw my area code when I called to ask about the apartment, and asked me if I was from Macon, and raved about Macon and how many musicians he knew from Macon. That speaks to how much music, Macon, and the community have provided me here in New York. So, I'm really grateful for those routes. And I'm grateful for how people connect with our city. ME: Okay, so about Macon – what is Macon's impact on your talent, then and now? SH: I feel Macon's impact on my talent when I'm when I'm home. When I visit home, and I'm working with you, or working with the studio at Dance Dynamics, or if I'm working with the Otis Redding Foundation – it's just very generative and very creative. There's an "anything is possible" mentality, which is surprising because sometimes Macon can feel "THERE'S SO MANY PEOPLE FROM MACON HERE IN NEW YORK, AND EVEN IN OUR COMMUNITY ON BROADWAY. SO IT'S JUST REALLY COOL TO SEE HOW BIG THE WORLD CAN BE, AND THEN HOW SMALL IT CAN BE ALL AT THE SAME TIME." — SASHA HUTCHINGS disconnected. Growing up, I didn't really understand what Broadway really was or how it really works. And yet when we were in – when I was in – high school, we were taking trips to New York, and Miss Pam was putting us all on a plane saying, "Let's go see it." My teachers were always trying to bring it closer. And I think it follows me in my career now. When I run up against a challenge, or I set a new goal, I don't believe that anything is out of reach. I just have to figure out how to get it. But I think there's something scrappy about Macon, I do. I think about the music artists who came out of Macon, and there's just something super steadfast and determined and true and scrappy about artists like Otis Redding, or maybe the Allman Brothers, or Little Richard – this originality and an attitude of "I'm going to make it happen and I'm going to stay true to myself and my sound, my person and my roots." And you just never forget that Macon's where you're from. If I'm home and I drive past Little Richard's house, you know, I'm thinking, "That's possible." Or I see The Otis Redding Foundation, the new building that they're in, I'm like, "That's the legacy of my city." It just is super grounding and encouraging for me being in New York, that I'm just reminded of where my roots are. It's super important to me. There's rebirth after rebirth in the city. The downtown area is being revitalized. They're building a huge music venue, or amphitheater, near the old Mall. The mall on Eisenhower. There's always this sense of, "recreate." It's always creative. It's always recreating itself, finding a new use. And it's always something that's rooted in community and creativity, soul food, music, all of these things. I'm super inspired by that when I come back home to see, to rediscover things, or discover something new. I'm not getting lost in what's happening here. I'm able to contribute my own originality that's born and bred, in Georgia – and Macon, Georgia, specifically. ME: What tips would you have for emerging artists? SH: My number one tip for everyone is reach out to your network. If you have a student, Melanie, and they reach out to you, and you reach out to me, you better believe that student's going to get help. Most people in this world are actually very willing to help if they can. It's an important thing to remember because it doesn't always feel that way. Sometimes, somebody might not be able to help you. They might not have the time, they might not have the resources, but it is worth asking every single time. So ask, ask, ask. Ask, ask. Ask. Always. ME: Can we do what's next? SH: Yeah, we can do what's next. I have a TV show out on STARZ that is airing this summer, called "Run the World". I play Hope. She's a very fun best friend character who is, in part, inspired by my aunt Tammy Hutchings in Macon. So there's a fun little Easter egg for anybody from Macon who knows Tammy, and I'm getting more into some directing and directing on camera. ME: You know I love you. SH: I do. ME: And I'm all proud of you. Always have been, even way back in the day. SH: Yeah, my number one cheerleader. 52 maconmagazine.com | JUNE/JULY 2023

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