Award-winning Macon-born performer brings original show to local theater

“The Unpredictable Times” by Macon-born playwright Kevin Ray Johnson opens at Macon Little Theatre Friday, marking the first full-stage production of the piece since its 2021 regional premiere in Florida. 

The show, set in the summer of 2007, follows a group of college graduates who reunite in their hometown one last time before going their separate ways. 

Pop culture references anchor the show in a specific time, but the theater’s executive director JP Haynie said the story of “people who are trying to find their footing in the world” resonates with every generation.

The coming-of-age play previously gained traction through staged readings at venues across the country, from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to the Broadway stage and even a small town in Alaska. 

Macon Little Theatre’s full-scale production offers Johnson — a professional vocalist and two-time Grammy Award-winning Metropolitan Opera performer — the chance to reconnect with his roots. 

“Georgia never really left me,” said Johnson, who grew up in Minnesota but still has family in Macon.

The performing arts have always been a part of his life, he said. He comes from a family of singers on his dad’s side and credits his mom for helping foster his love of writing. 

Despite a short-lived dream of becoming a basketball player — maybe he’ll play one on stage someday — Johnson not only adopted his family’s artistic bent, but hails from a city with a rich musical pulse, so his career in the spotlight comes as no surprise. 

“There’s a lot of artistry that comes out of Macon, Georgia,” he said. “My mom always tells me it was just naturally in my DNA that I probably was going to be an entertainer.”

Growing up, Johnson had a front row seat to the performing arts. His mom briefly owned a theater company in Minnesota and he watched her direct a production of the 1970 Broadway musical “Purlie,” an experience that Johnson said solidified his desire to perform.  

He later developed his writing chops when he moved to Maryland partway through high school, an experience that flipped his entire world on its head. His mother gave him composition notebooks where he began to jot down his thoughts and write stories.

Johnson planted the seeds for “The Unpredictable Times” at age 16 as an homage to his Minnesota upbringing. He said the show’s name references the period in a young person’s life when they’re transitioning into the adult world for the first time and each character reflects a part of himself.

Coming of age stories can often feel like an inside joke that no one else understands, he said. 

The Unpredictable Times, however, transcends generational barriers, because everyone can relate to that time of life when they don’t know what the future holds, according to Johnson. 

The Macon playwright said he is grateful for Macon Little Theatre taking a chance on new works like his.

“Every few years, we try to find these special projects to come along and elevate into part of our full-scale season,” Haynie said. 

Working with original material is an “underused skill” for non-professional actors, the local theater director noted. 

“That sort of developmental skill as an actor to be able to create it totally on your own —  it’s an exciting opportunity,” he said. “It was an exciting process for me to get to work on material where, really, all you have to go on is the script in front of you.”

The greatest creative challenge was figuring out how to visually portray flashbacks in live scenes, according to Haynie. Similarly, the cast had to learn how to embody their characters at all ages.

“On stage, there are these seamless moments where an actor starts telling the story and everything just sort of shifts,” he said. “All of a sudden, we are back with them when they’re 10 years old and building this tree house together with their friends.”

A playwright’s “greatest blessing and curse,” Haynie noted, is putting their vision down on paper and letting other artists bring it to life. 

Johnson lives in Philadelphia and is rehearsing for EPIC Players’ off-Broadway 30th anniversary revival of RENT, but he will return to Macon for opening night of the show. The Unpredictable Times runs March 20-29 at Macon Little Theatre, 4220 Forsyth Road. Purchase tickets online.