Macon Magazine

Theatre production at just nine years old. From there, it was full steam ahead, from her own middle school street theatre company to starting a drama club at Central to winning the drama category at The Telegraph's Golden Eagle awards. She was a fixture at MLT. "I loved it. That was really the only theater going in town, but that's how I met Jim Crisp." Crisp is best known now as the founding artistic director of Theatre Macon, but at the time, he had been drawn to move to Central Georgia to work at MLT. "He directed me in some plays, one of which was 'Our Town' when I was 16 years old. He really did start to help me think about myself as a real actor, and not just a child actor." Preston was also part of the Governor's Honors Program and continued her acting studies at Valdosta State University while still a high schooler. Though Preston had moved on from Georgia before Theatre Macon was founded, their stage in the historic Ritz Theater building is where she married fellow actor Michael Emerson in 1998. Crisp was the proud officiant. "It felt fitting to me," noted Preston. "Because I guess you could say the theatre's a bit like a church for me, and for my husband and my family. So, it was fitting that we would go to that place to have a union." Projecting warmth on screen and off Julliard was what first brought Preston to New York City, for an acting diploma early in her career after college. Now that "Elsbeth" is inspired by the sounds, sights, and situations of New York, it's brought her journey full-circle. The character arrives to the city as a Chicagoan and it's clear that at first, it's hard to fit in. As a Southerner approaching brusque entertainment types for her acting career, did Preston experience the same fish out of water feeling as Elsbeth? "First of all, I said I would never move to New York," she laughed. "I came and visited and I thought, why do people want to live this way? I kind of swore it off, but I also knew that it was the epicenter of theatre, and that's what I wanted to do with my life." Now approaching decades of living in the Big Apple, Preston has adjusted. But the cultural exchange wasn't easy. Her arrival was before Julliard had built residence halls for the students, so they were put up in the 63rd Street YMCA. "It was a real eye-opening experience to be living in the Y, in a little single room with the television hanging from the wall and communal bathrooms down the hall." It was also the environment that pushed Preston to really discover New York, and she has had to rediscover that lens of novelty as Elsbeth. "Elsbeth "I know people always ask, 'What do you want to do next?' And I'm like, 'I could have never dreamt of this!' These things have come as a surprise, and I love that." sees New York City as such a beautiful, fun, cultural, rich experience. She sees it through rose colored glasses in some ways," Preston said. "She's made me really look at the city again and appreciate it." The show does shoot in the city, so the scenes feel authentic. It's an easy city to be cynical in, and an easy industry to make one a cynic. But Preston's identity keeps her grounded, and she seems especially open to encouraging other artists to succeed. The level of generosity from Preston is the opposite of what one might consider the stereotypical attitude of celebrity. "The Southern hospitality that I grew up around is definitely something that I bring into my role as what I like to call the head of the acting department," Preston explained on how she approaches her work. "There's all these departments on sets, but no one ever really thinks of it as an acting department, but it is. You've got the camera department, the grip department, the ADs, the directors, the producers." Preston explained that it's her job, like a department head, to make sure all her collaborators feel open to explore and do their best. She remembered once being the guest star on set with only a few lines and a key moment. Now that she's on the other side in a starring role, she doesn't want actors on the other end to be intimidated. "I think part of that is being welcoming, and using that spirit of Southern hospitality is to make people feel like they can do their best work. They should feel valued and appreciated and seen." Preston is clearly an actor's actor, dedicated to the craft, and her openness extends past her immediate costars. Thinking on advice for emerging creatives, she encourages them to be just as flexible. "Trust your collaborators to bring what they do best to the situation, because a lot of times, I feel like young people try to get in a leadership role. They feel like they have to be the one that knows the most. Sometimes saying, 'I don't know, what do you think?' is the best approach." Her second piece of advice is to just make work, rather than relying on a system of institutions to give out opportunities. "I always tell them, don't give your power away to other people. Don't wait for somebody else to tell you you can do what it is that you want to do with your life." This can be easy in an age of digital platforms like YouTube or clubs with open stages, she said. "You do have to go and audition, but it doesn't mean you October/November 2026 | maconmagazine.com 53

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