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Chelsea Cylinder is a Philadelphia-based actress, singer, teaching artist, producer, and Equity Membership Candidate. Chelsea grew up loving classic Hollywood films and Broadway shows. She first started performing at ten years old when she was cast as the youngest Von Trapp child (Gretl) in The Sound Of Music. Since then, she has fallen completely in love with the thrill of performing and has acted in all different types of shows, ranging from golden age and rock musicals to straight and absurdist comedies to light operettas and heavy dramas.
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Chelsea holds a B.A. with Honors from the University Of Pennsylvania. She is also a Teaching Artist and has taught children ages 3-13 throughout the Philadelphia area, including at the Walnut Street Theatre and Theatre Horizon. Chelsea loves helping her students discover the world of theatre and explore their passions for performing. Her students are constant sources of joy for her.
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Please feel free to take a look at any photos, video reels, or resumes. She would love to hear from you.
Pier Players Theatre Company
Chelsea is the Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Pier Players Theatre Company, a Philadelphia-based company dedicated to supporting the Philadelphia community's new works and new visions for pre-existing pieces.
Most recently, Pier Players presented the Barrymore-recommended production of Etiquette, a hilarious comedy about the theatre world, for the 2025 Philadelphia Fringe Festival. The production was directed by Barrymore Award-winning director Charlotte Northeast.
Pier Players received local, national, and international attention for its Barrymore-recommended world premiere production of the musical romantic comedy The Angry Grammarian. More details on that production can be found below.
The company also produced the Philadelphia-premiere of the popular new musical Ink & Paint by Danielle E. Moore, which was later featured in the Newport New Works Festival and starred Broadway's Sierra Boggess and Ashley Spencer.
Additional Pier Players productions have included the Philadelphia premiere of the murder mystery comedy Larry's Late Show, the Philadelphia Premiere of The Café Mocha Murders, a completely original children's theatre production, and the world premiere of the SciFi comedy Mars Doesn't Want Us.
To see what Chelsea and the Pier Players team have been up to, visit www.pierplayers.org, or follow the company on Instagram @pierplayers and on Facebook at Pier Players Theatre Company. Information can also be found on the Pier Players tab on this website.
The next Pier Players production is the premiere of I Think We're Lost, a darkly comedic, postmodern reimagining of Peter Pan. The play is written by Peter Fenton.
Pier Players Presents:
The Angry Grammarian: A New Musical
THE ANGRY GRAMMARIAN IS BACK!
In March 2024, Pier Players presented the world premiere of The Angry Grammarian, a musical romantic comedy about two people who are obsessed with grammar. Chelsea produced the show and played Lisa, the female lead and the love interest of the Angry Grammarian. The production was Barrymore Recommended, named one of the top things to do in Philly by Philadelphia Magazine and Visit Philly, was raved about by The New Yorker, and was even featured internationally on BBC World Service. The show was performed at Theatre Exile and completely sold out before opening night. Pier Players then remounted the show at the Arden Theatre's Arcadia Stage in September 2024.
Between the two productions, Pier Players was also given the opportunity to record a cast album! The company partnered with Oxford Recording Studio in Philadelphia and created an original cast recording, which is now streaming on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and YouTube Music. The cast album is also available to purchase here.
The Angry Grammarian was written by Jeffrey Barg and David Lee White and is inspired by Barg's column in The Philadelphia Inquirer called "The Angry Grammarian." Both productions were directed by Dawn Loveland Navarro.
Read about The Angry Grammarian in the press below:
Larry's Late Show
Larry's Late Show by Richard Mover, the murder mystery comedy that Pier Players has popularized around Philadelphia, has been transformed into a night of dinner theatre suitable for any restaurant type!
After the initial Fringe Festival production in September 2022, the show was picked up by Scarpetta Restaurant in the Rittenhouse Hotel and was remounted in this new interactive dinner theatre format. After every Scarpetta performance sold out, Chelsea and her team decided to take the show to other restaurants and private events!
Interested in having Larry's Late Show at your restaurant, birthday celebration, holiday party, or other private event? Click here to inquire today!
Read about the Scarpetta production below:
Larry's Late Show in the Philadelphia Fringe Festival
Click on an image to read about the Philadelphia premiere of the murder mystery comedy that Chelsea produced and performed in!
Some More About Chelsea
WATCH
"Latkes, Gelt, And Menorahs" a Hanukkah-themed parody of "Love Is An Open Door" that Chelsea co-wrote and performed
WATCH
A cut of "Suddenly Seymour" from Little Shop Of Horrors (recorded for an audition self-tape)
WATCH
A virtual Parent & Me lesson that Chelsea taught for Theatre Horizon's "Horizon At Home" Program
Crossover: A New Pop Musical
Click on an image to read about the original musical that Chelsea co-produced and performed in!
Watch some clips from the show below!
"Fourth of July"
"Weapon"
Original World Premiere Trailer
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