Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1540272
40 maconmagazine.com | October/November 2025 What they say about her: My MVP, no questions, is Shelley Kuhen! She's been working tirelessly for more than 30 years bringing shows to life through historically accurate, extraordinarily detailed, authentic costuming and wardrobe. Theatre Macon has been the runway for thousands of Shelley's works, and her contributions are what set Theatre Macon apart from others in our region. No one locally can do the work Shelley does, and I would put her work against regional or professional theatres any day. Not to mention— she is a joy to work with! We've been creating theatre together for close to 15 years and I'm so grateful to have her by my side, and on he side of Theatre Macon! In her own words: With 450 shows under your belt, what's your favorite part of theatre? Collaboration. Where do you see your role as being so essential? Helping actors realize who they are. I watch transformation after transformation, and it never gets old when I put them in their costume for the first time. Watching them become the person, the character—it just happens. It happens every time. Sometimes I just have to say, "You know what? It may not be what you would wear, but I see the picture." It's kind of like being in a beauty shop, too. Everybody comes in and tells me all their problems. It's safe, because we don't talk about things outside of the shop. If people say anything in confidence, it doesn't go out of the shop, whatsoever. Everybody feels safe in the shop. Is there any specific show you remember as the biggest challenge? I think recently, it was "Dreamgirls." It was just so much. The Dreams themselves. Each woman had, I think, 23 costume changes apiece. It was just so big, and it covers a long period of time, so we had to change wigs. I forget how many wigs my daughter did! She helps me. It was like, 70 some wigs that she did, and they went from the 1950s up through the '70s. Shelley Kuhen T H E A T R E M A C O N