Meet Hazely Merkle-sanderson | Actor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Hazely Merkle-sanderson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hazely, why did you pursue a creative career?
As a little girl I grew up sparsely attending summer camp at The Nashville Children’s Theatre, and I remember writing and performing a short play about moth people one of the weeks I got to spend there. If you asked seven-year-old Hazely how her week at camp was that summer, you probably wouldn’t get a very confident answer seeing as she was definitely one of the shyest kids you’d ever meet. In the event that I did give an answer, it would’ve been to my diary, and I’d say it was the best week of my life. My feelings of joy and fascination during my early experience with theatre and performing were so incredibly vibrant and strong, but at seven years old it didn’t occur to me that this magical, shiny art of storytelling could be an adult job.

So, I kind of shut off that idea. It seemed silly and impractical.

Fast forward seven more years, it’s 2020, I’m fourteen and I decide that I’m going to be an actress. I wasn’t quite sure how or why, but I was going to do it. It was okay that I didn’t know ‘how’ because if there’s a will there’s a way, but it bothered me that I didn’t have a ‘why’. I was almost sixteen when I realized that my ‘why’ was that I wanted to tell stories through performing – I’m supposed to be a storyteller. I want to make people see, listen, feel seen, bring new worlds to life and old ones to light.

I turned sixteen going into my junior year of high school, and our theatre department opened back up for the first time in two years since COVID. And that led me to the opportunity to participate in my high school theatre department and be able to take theatre classes during my junior and senior year. This reignited my love for theatre that had been in hibernation since before I started middle school, which led me to where I stand today. I am currently a freshman in college taking my first (official) film class and just closed my second show with my amazing community theatre family that I’ve come to grow and love (shout out to The Larry Keeton Theatre over in Donelson).

Acting, dancing, performing, and indulging in the arts no longer feels ‘silly’ or ‘impractical’. I decided to pursue a career in something so creative and so special because it colors my heart so loudly in the most beautiful colors, feelings, and experiences and I would feel incomplete if I didn’t chase such a dream.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Along with acting, I’ve always had such a passion for photography and cutting together cool videos on my computer that I film with family or friends. It brings me so much joy to be able to capture moments in such a unique format and have my work to look back on down the line. I feel like nostalgia and I have a strong relationship because it sometimes feels like it’s the only thing I’m ever chasing when I’m looking back at old videos. I just think that they’re really special.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I was born and raised in the Inglewood/East Nashville area, but I’m afraid I would make for a terrible tour guide. I’m a simple gal when it comes to where I hang and spend my time.

This being said, I’m a loyal lover for the places I do frequent.
My top spot for food has been Five Points Pizza since I was like sixteen, and I stand by that to this day.
If you’re looking for some cool coffee shops, I’ll always direct you to Sip Cafe, Ugly Muggs, Bongo Java, and/or International Tea and Coffee (if you’re a Boba person like me).
And of course I’m a sucker for thrifting and supporting small businesses, so I practically beg anyone new that I meet to checkout The Shoppes on Fatherland, Anaconda Vintage, Grimey’s, and Robinson’s Flea Market.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d love to shoutout my high school theater teacher/director Liberty Lockett, The Larry Keeton Theater, and Jake Patton for being amazing inspirations and warm spaces for my creativity to live and grow. My girls for always pushing me to work hard and always being in the crowd to see me at my shows. I’d also just love to shoutout my older sister, Krista, who would argue that she is my biggest fan.

Instagram: qr

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@wrldscoolestloser?si=zqwJKKzafHHY3Rfp

Image Credits
Headshot: Noelle Matthews