Résumé
Chelsea is a multi-hyphenate theatre artist currently serving as Casting Director at The Phoenix Theatre Company of Phoenix, AZ. She stepped onstage at age four and basically never left. Chelsea has been a director, actor, writer, educator, producer, dialect coach, advocate, administrator, and overall theatre enthusiast for decades.
As a director, Chelsea has led many projects in various forms. Her own All the Best, Jack started as an idea to write a thriller that exists live on stage. The premiere production in Wisconsin sold out every performance and sparked a second production in Indianapolis, IN which played outdoors in a Victorian park (perfect setting for the Jack the Ripper theme of the play). Chelsea also developed a holiday production over twelve months, curating material from seven writers and writing connecting scenes for a larger overall story. Winston's Big Day premiered at Phoenix Theatre Indianapolis in 2019 just before the
COVID-19 pandemic. One patron wrote of the play: "That was one of the best written, sweetest portrayals of a gay romance we've ever seen.... Too often LGBTQ characters are stereotypical or cast as tragic victims. You didn't do that. And for that, we thank you!" Working on new scripts and working with playwrights is a true passion, and Chelsea has a great deal of experience in this realm. She led a stage reading of Jen Blackmer's Predictor for the National New Play Network which was picked up for four rolling world premiere performances across the country. And, Chelsea started Storefront Labs at Storefront Theatre of Indianapolis with friend and colleague Andrew Kramer. The Labs experience gives writers a chance to workshop a new play from pitch to final draft by working with other writers, dramaturgs, actors, and directors for private and public readings of the script-in-progress.
Not just a director of new works, Chelsea has also directed fantastic plays and musicals like You Can't Take It With You by Kaufman & Hart; Fully Committed by Becky Mode; The Play That Goes Wrong by Lewis, Sayer, and Shields; Catch Me If You Can by McNally, Shaiman, and Wittman; Pilgrims by Claire Keichel; Sunday on the Rocks by Theresa Rebeck; Five Women Wearing the Same Dress by Alan Ball; One for the Road by Harold Pinter; and assisted fine directors on productions like Bandstand with Pasha Yamotahari; Vanya, Sonia, Masha, & Spike with Jen Gray; The Prom with Michael Barnard; Hedda Gabler with Brad Wright; Into the Woods with Jen Alexander; The Children with Bill Simmons; Greater Tuna with Jim Stauffer; and A Christmas Carol with Ben Hanna.
Chelsea's acting career has afforded her the opportunity to play many fun and interesting roles. Favorites include Alma in Summer & Smoke, directed by Norma Saldivar; Robin in 1980 or Why I Voted for John Anderson, directed by Ronan Marra; Rachel in One Man, Two Guvnors, directed by Rich Rand, and MacDuff in MacBeth. After graduating with an MFA in Acting & Directing from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Chelsea dove back into the industry with new tools and experience to bring stories to life.
A lifelong educator, Chelsea has taught many classes & workshops both formally at universities and high schools and informally through theatre companies and her own independent endeavors. Students often remark how enthusiastic she is in the work and how clearly she presents information. Students in educational productions have also praised Chelsea's ability to offer specific direction and goals while allowing for room to play and make mistakes. Seeing students achieve their goals and succeed is a true joy.
Each role Chelsea has held is akin to an Artistic Directorship. As Artistic Manager at Phoenix Theatre of Indianapolis, her responsibilities included budgeting, development, production management, literary management, season selection, collaboration with all departments, event management, grant writing, marketing, casting, directing, visioning, education, and community outreach. She intentionally took on a great deal of work because she thrives in fast-paced environments. Chelsea is quite good at seeking and filling gaps in programming, opportunities for income, community improvement and engagement opportunities, staff productivity and joy in their work, etc. Eliminating stressors and finding more efficient ways to work generally make work more successful and enjoyable. She best responds to and strives to be a leader who sees potential in people, ideas, and programs, and supports her colleagues for their own development as well as the good of the institution.