JP Haynie, the current artistic director of the Macon Little Theatre, quite literally and figuratively grew up on the stage.

Both of his parents worked for the MLT over the years. His dad, Phil Haynie, was the artistic director of theatre in the 70s and 80s, and his mother, Sylvia Haynie, has worked in an artistic management position at the theatre for over 24 years. During JP’s early years, they even lived at the theatre in an apartment inside the building for a year and a half.

Growing up seeing his parent’s productions, Haynie knew from a young age he wanted to pursue a career in theater. 

“This place has a lot of special memories for me because of the sort of long transition of seeing both of their work, and it’s also really exciting for me now, sort of being on the other side of it,” Haynie says. 

 A framed photo behind the ticket booth shows a baby JP dressed in a tuxedo attending his dad’s 1986 production of A Chorus Line at the MLT. Thirty-eight years later, in 2024, JP directed the same show, A Chorus Line, in the same theatre.

“He’s getting to see me work in the same space and sometimes with the same shows, like with A Chorus Line,” Haynie says. “That’s a show that he directed here with Macon talent, and he got to come down and see my version of it on the same stage, in the same way.”  

JP and his mom, Sylvia, often collaborate on shows, set designs, lighting, costumes, and other elements. Sylvia is currently directing the show Finding Nemo Jr., presented by the MLT Family Theatre on Dec. 20-22, 2024.   

“Overall, we really enjoy working together, and I’m really excited about a lot of things that she’s still bringing to the table for the theatre,” Haynie says.

The Macon Little Theatre is the Southeast’s oldest continually operating community theatre (under the same name). Since opening its doors in 1934, the MLT hasn’t missed a season since and is currently in its 91st season. The MLT has remained a vibrant community arts organization due to the support of the community, theatre patrons, talented actors/artists, local organizations, businesses, and government. The local support and passion for community theatre brought JP back to the MLT after working professionally as an actor in New York for 20 years. 

“I’ve been here since the end of 2019 and in that time, have been incredibly proud of everything that we’ve produced because we have a really broad talent pool of people who bring everything to the table and work really hard on these shows,” Haynie says.

The MLT has remained a vital community space, bringing people from multiple generations and backgrounds together through a shared love of theatre and artistic expression. The Macon Little Theatre’s upcoming production is Anastasia, which will be presented from Dec. 6 to 15, 2024.

“I think community theatre can be really important because it’s your friends, and neighbors, and classmates, you know, real people who all come together because they love theater,” Haynie says. 

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