Chelsea Thaler

Chelsea Thaler is an actor, director, filmmaker, physical theater artist, and educator. Her work lies at the intersection of performance, devising, film, clown, dance theater, and the creation of new works of ensemble theater. She has created and/or performed Off-Broadway in NYC, at regional theaters, at fringe festivals, and venues including: LaMaMa ETC, The Kennedy Center, United Solo Festival, Studio Theatre, Arena Stage, Synetic Theatre, Source Festival, Capital Fringe Festival, Keegan Theater, Theater J, Philadelphia Fringe Festival/Cannonball, The Voxel, and more. She’s performed internationally at alt comedy/clown venues in Paris, NYC, LA, and Edinburgh. Awards: Helen Hayes Award for Best Ensemble in The Wolves at Studio Theater, Nominee for Best Ensemble in Island of Dr. Moreau at Synetic Theater. She was the inaugural directing fellow at Imagination Stage in Bethesda, MD. She trained as an actor/deviser at the Moscow Art Theater School in Moscow, Russia, the Stella Adler Acting School in NYC, SITI Company in NYC, and Ecole Philippe Gaulier in France. Her short films have played at The Creative Alliance, HollyShorts Film Festival, and the Ocean City Film Festival. She’s been on screen in various regional commercials, short films, and TV shows, including on Investigation Discovery, CBS, and Amazon Prime Video. She received her MFA in Devised Performance from University of the Arts/Pig Iron Theater School.

She has taught acting and devising in Virginia, Washington, DC, and Philadelphia at University of Mary Washington, University of the Arts, and as a guest artist at American University. She is a member of Actor’s Equity Association (AEA). She is currently training to be a Feldenkrais practitioner, and teaches clown and contact improvisation workshops throughout the east coast. She believes in the endless potential for art to transform lives through play and curiosity, and to bring us all closer to our shared humanity.

Chelsea is the 2025-2026 Artist in Residence in Duke’s Theater Studies department, and will be writing and directing The Trio, a contemporary clown adaptation of Chekhov’s Three Sisters, while in residence.

Education:

MFA, University of the Arts/Pig Iron Theater School, 2023

MS, University of Pennsylvania, 2021

BA, American University, 2014

Certificate in Acting, Moscow Art Theater School, 2013