We were lucky to catch up with Chelsea Cylinder recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Chelsea thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

The most meaningful project that I’ve worked on is a musical romantic comedy called The Angry Grammarian, which I produced and performed in with my theatre company, Pier Players Theatre Company.

I am the Founder and Director of Pier Players Theatre Company. Our theatre company was established in 2022. Up until this show, we had been producing smaller-scale shows. Our name was just starting to get out into the Philadelphia community, but we really didn’t have any resources. We had some successful runs, and were seeing growth, but it was smaller than we would have liked.

I have been producing professional shows since 2019. Producing started as a passion for me in college, and being able to produce professionally felt really amazing. Now, producing for my own theatre company really feels like everything I could possibly strive for with my producing passions.

In March of 2023, my friend, Amanda Pasquini, another theatre artist and frequent collaborator, reached out to me. She said that she was sent a script, and she didn’t want to do it without me. This message alone was so rewarding. To be recognized for my producing work and to be trusted to be the sole person she wanted to work with was really gratifying. I read the script, and she asked me to meet with the writer.

The script was a musical romantic comedy called The Angry Grammarian. It’s about 2 people who are obsessed with grammar. The writer, it turned out, is Jeffrey Barg, the real-life Angry Grammarian. He used to write a column of the same name in The Philadelphia Inquirer, and his column inspired this musical. Working with him and on this show seemed like a great opportunity for our company. I was also so excited by the idea of doing a musical. We hadn’t done that yet in our company.

Before knowing about Pier Players, Jeff initially wanted to hire a producer (me) and a director (Amanda) to produce the show at a theatre company in Philadelphia. He wanted to meet with us and brainstorm places where he could submit his script. I thought that his initial thoughts were to submit for a bigger, well-established local company, but I figured I should try to advocate for our very-new company instead. I told him that I have a company, and we could do it.

He asked me to meet with his writing partner, David Lee White, and tell them more about our company. I was really nervous to do this. We were so small and new, and we didn’t have nearly the years of experience that the major Philly companies had. I didn’t really see why they would want to trust us with their show. But, they said yes! So quickly, my company was producing its first musical, and its largest project to-date.

We suddenly were going from having $5000.00 budgets to having $15000.00 budgets. It seemed impossible. We thought we would be thousands of dollars in debt. But Jeff and David seemed to really believe in us.

Jeff told me that, in September, he came to see our Fringe show, a smaller SciFi comedy called Mars Doesn’t Want Us. He said that he went into the show knowing that it was the first full production of ours that he would have seen, and it would be a telling sign of whether he made the right choice. He said that he loved the show, and in that moment, he felt confident in his decision to trust us with his musical.

The creative process for this show started moving really quickly. We hired a director, Dawn Navarro, whom I had personal connections with. When I started producing in college, my theatre company hired her to direct our musical. I produced and performed in her show, and now I was getting to work with her in the same capacity except professionally. It felt like such a special full-circle moment.

For the first time ever, we also held a full-fledged audition process. We had people submitting for us. We had actors who wanted to be in a Pier Players show! That felt surreal for me. This was also the first time I got to lead an audition process.

After the auditions, one of my close friends, Ben Behrend, was cast as the lead opposite me. It was fully a coincidence; he just happened to be the director’s choice, and I didn’t know until our casting meeting! I knew that would make this experience even more special. We hadn’t performed together since college. Now, I’m producing a new musical, working with prominent Philly writers, being directed by someone I love collaborating with, acting with one of my close friends, and presenting a show with my theatre company alongside a board that I feel so proud every day to be a part of. The rehearsals hadn’t even started yet, and this was already an incredibly meaningful and special experience.

Rehearsals were even more amazing than I could have hoped for. The production meetings were as well. Producing and acting in shows gives me the ability to be a part of all areas of the production, both onstage and off. I really feel like I get to oversee everything while also taking part in the show itself. It’s my dream career. And to do this for a new musical that I absolutely love was just so incredibly meaningful. As the process progressed, all of the actors and production team members became some of my most trusted collaborators. This was a dream team. We worked so well together. Toward the end of the process, the director summed it up well when she said there was just no drama ever. When there were problems and stresses, we overcame them together and were always united. We all just clicked.

As we approached the performances, we saw that we were getting loads of press coverage. Jeff, the writer, had a number of media connections. He got us picked up by major Philly press outlets. We were named one of the top things to do in Philly in March, were featured in The Inquirer, had a spotlight on 6abc News, and were written about countless other times as well. Then, we reached The New Yorker, and a writer there informed us that she was coming to our show! After the show, we even reached The BBC World Service and were featured on their radio program!

Tickets started selling really well. Before our first performance, the entire run was completely sold out. It was truly unreal. We had people emailing our theatre company asking if there’s any way they could get a ticket. We had people asking to be added to a waitlist. And, every so often, I stopped to take in the fact that these people are so interested in coming to our little company’s show. Pier Players’ name was also mentioned in every piece of press coverage that we got. It was so cool.

During the shows, we got amazing audience feedback and great critical reviews, and we were Barrymore-recommended! The Barrymore Awards are the Philly Theatre equivalent of the Tony Awards. One day, I woke up and saw that email, and I couldn’t believe it. I’m smiling even as I’m typing about it months later!

We also had people coming to the shows and waiting in the lobby to see if they could get in. People were also asking where they could get a cast album or stream the music. They were also asking if we’d do the show again. Word about the show was getting out, and it was so incredibly exciting and rewarding.

After the show, we all shared this excitement, and we didn’t want it to end. We decided that we wanted to remount the production. Now, we’re currently in the process of producing this remount, which is scheduled to have performances September 20th-29th at the Arden Theatre in Philadelphia. Our tickets are already selling. People who saw the show said that they’re excited to come again. People who weren’t able to get tickets said that they’re excited to have a chance to see it this time around. The cast and creative team are so excited to be back together.

We just had our first rehearsal this past week, and the environment was like no other. We cheered for each other as we entered the room. We all watched each other’s scenes, which we haven’t seen in months. We felt so comfortable with each other and were just so happy to be in each other’s presence. To be able to reunite on a show that has become such a passion for me was an incredible feeling.

This show is probably my most meaningful project to date. I think it’s a great show on its own, and I just feel so incredibly grateful for it. On the acting side, I love doing musical comedy, and I got to perform a really fun role every night alongside one of my close friends and a whole group of actors whom I now consider my good friends and whom I want to continue working with repeatedly. On the producing side, a show that I produced sold out its entire run before the first performance. We built more connections with local businesses. I put hours and hours of time into the producing side of things, and it was just so worth it. The reward was beyond what I ever could have imagined. As a side note, due to a sewage leak in my house, my family and I had to evacuate our house, and we lived in a hotel for 4 months, which was basically our entire production process. At the end of the show’s run, David turned to me and said “you produced a whole show from a hotel room!” That was also a fun thing to hear. And, from a company standpoint, this has felt so rewarding for our company, Pier Players. We have gained momentum, and we have grown our name in ways I never would have imagined. Our little theatre company was being mentioned all over the country, and even in the UK! I feel so proud of our company. Working with that group is something I cherish all the time. This entire show process was truly a dream come true.

And, as a quick plug, tickets for the remount are on sale now! The performances are scheduled for September 20th-29 at the Arden Theatre (Arcadia Stage) in Philadelphia. For tickets, you can visit https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/pierplayers/theangrygrammarian2024#.

Chelsea, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Chelsea Cylinder, and I’m a Philadelphia-based actor, singer, and producer. I’m also the Founder and Director of Pier Players Theatre Company, a Philadelphia-based theatre company dedicated to promoting, supporting, and giving a platform to the Philadelphia community’s new works and new visions for pre-existing pieces.

I have always loved the entertainment world. My dad, Alan Cylinder, is one of the world’s leading film historians. He is also a film distributor, film collector, and former print and broadcast critic. His office is a movie theater that’s on our house’s third floor. Growing up with him as my dad, I had to love movies. He showed me everything, and he still does. He made me love the entertainment world. He also took me to see lots of shows. He and my mom took me to my first Broadway show when I was 5 years old. It was the 2000 revival of Oklahoma. After that, they started taking me to several Broadway shows every year. I would say that between a personal movie theater, multiple trips to Broadway every year, and my own personal film historian, I got a little spoiled when it came to my exposure to the entertainment industry, and it quickly became something that I just absolutely loved.

I also always loved singing. My mom has so many videos of me performing on step stools for the family. I extended play dates with my friends because I created shows to put on for our moms at our pickup times. But, for some reason, it never hit me that I wanted it to be a career. Until middle school.

When I was in 5th grade, the high school was doing The Sound of Music. The director said that they needed a few middle schoolers to be the youngest Von Trapp children. A few of my friends were auditioning, and they wanted me to audition too. They said that, because I love singing, I should join them. I said that that’s not for me, and that I don’t perform like that, and I’d stick to the choir. But somehow they convinced me, and to my utter shock, I was cast as Gretl, the youngest child.

That was it. Just that show alone convinced me that this was what I wanted to do. Any other career aspirations that my 10-year-old self had fell to the wayside. There was simply no feeling that could compete with standing under the stage lights, being a character, and singing for an audience. And that’s what started my passion for performing.

All throughout middle and high school, I acted in every single show, and I worked up to getting lead roles, which felt really amazing. I was nominated for a Cappie Award (the theatre awards for high schools in the Greater Philadelphia area) for Best Comic Actress in a Play.

I was also interested in a lot of academic subjects too. I thought maybe I’d want to study biology. I was also the President of the Student Body and Editor-in-Chief of the yearbook, and I saw that I loved being in leadership positions and overseeing projects. I also loved math and working with numbers.

One day, in my advanced math class, my teacher took me aside. He had come to see the high school show, and he told me that he felt I needed to be on a stage for a living. He knew how much I loved math and how I debated on going to an academic field, and yet he still told me that he felt I needed to pursue theatre. That really stuck with me.

I went to the University of Pennsylvania for college. At Penn, I knew that I’d be able to study a lot of different things just in case I didn’t want to fully pursue theatre. I tried all different combinations of majors and minors, but I couldn’t convince myself to do anything except theatre. For my extracurricular activities, I did solely theatre–sometimes doing several shows every semester. I was part of a musical theatre group called Penn Singers Light Opera Company, and I got really involved in this group. I decided to run for the board, and it reminded me of how much I loved leadership positions. In Penn Singers, I worked up to being elected President. Part of the President’s job is producing the shows during their term. The President also has the chance to perform in the shows that they produce. That was the first time I produced and performed in shows. I had never experienced anything like it. I didn’t realize that I could combine my passions for acting and leadership positions. I could even incorporate my academic interests and use math to help oversee the production budget. It was really becoming evident how much I loved this concept of simultaneously producing and performing in shows.

In my senior year of college, I wasn’t sure whether I should go straight to auditions or try to find some theatre-related work. I applied for a lot of theatre-related, non-acting work. I remember being struck by an interview that I had for a local theatre apprenticeship position. They asked me about some of the theatre work that I’ve loved doing, and I explained how much I love producing and performing in shows and told them all about my work with Penn Singers. The head of this theatre company told me that she knew artists that did that all the time, and they love it and make careers out of it. I was shocked. I didn’t think that this was something that could actually occur in the real world. She also told me a little about how she came to form her theatre company. I was floored thinking about how this could actually become something to pursue in life.

After trying out lots of different fields, I landed on a major at Penn that really didn’t surprise anyone. I graduated from Penn with a B.A. with Honors in Cinema and Media Studies, with double minors and extensive studies in Theatre Arts and Spanish. In the middle of my sophomore year, I took a cinema studies class just because I love movies so much, and I thought it would be fun to honor my dad in that way. As soon as I took one class, I was totally hooked. I couldn’t stop taking classes and learning more about the film world. Simultaneously, my dad and I developed a Father-Daughter Movie Review podcast called Cylinder Cylinder, which we still have today (you can visit our website at www.cylindercylinder.com and on TikTok @cylinder.cylinder). The Theatre Arts minor went well with all of this, and suddenly I was on a path to pursuing the arts for real.

My first job out of college was as a Production Fellow at the Wilma Theater, which just received the regional theatre Tony Award this past year! I learned so much about what goes into a professional production. I learned all about the technical sides of production, and as an actor, I gained a huge appreciation for the technicians that work on shows. The Production Manager at the time knew that I was also interested in producing, so he set up specific hours in my schedule to teach me about his work as a production manager.

After I finished my year, I decided to go back and pursue acting professionally. Over the past few years, I have performed all over the Greater Philadelphia area, and also in New York, New Jersey, and Delaware. Some of the theatre companies I’ve worked with include 11th Hour Theatre Company, The Broadway Theatre of Pitman, Ocean City Theatre Company, New Light Theatre, OperaDelaware, MusiCoLab, Family Stages, Theatre Ariel, and the East Broadway Theater Project. I have also performed with my own theatre company, but I’ll go into more on that in a bit.

In 2019, I was talking to my friend, Amanda Pasquini, who is also one of my frequent collaborators. She’s a local director, and she was telling me about how she’s been looking for her next piece to direct. The Philadelphia Fringe Festival was coming up. I remembered how I was told that it’s possible to produce your own work in Philly, so I asked her if she wanted to co-produce a show with me that she can also direct and that I can also act in. She said yes, and that was the start of my dual role as producer and performer in the professional world.

That feeling was amazing. The passion for this dual role came back instantly. I loved that feeling of being able to be a part of all aspects of a production. And to do that on a professional level just felt so rewarding. We made a profit on this show, and my name was in the professional world as an actor and producer. It was so cool to be a part of.

After this show, I really didn’t want to stop. I wanted to find ways to do this every year. I started producing shows annually for the Fringe Festival. During the pandemic, we produced entirely-virtual shows just to find ways to be creative. I was told that our virtual shows were the best people had seen. And it felt just as great to have my name feel so associated with that production.

People all around me had been telling me to start a theatre company in order to have a place to continue this kind of dual role. It was a cool idea in theory, but I didn’t think it was possible. I had no idea how that would even come about. I said it would be really awesome to be able to constantly take charge of my own work, but the idea just seemed implausible. Until suddenly it wasn’t.

In 2022, I auditioned for a little murder mystery show in New York called Larry’s Late Show. I almost didn’t attend the audition. It seemed like it would be hard to do because of the commute, and I didn’t know much about the show, but I figured that, since it was on Zoom, I might as well go. The audition went really well, and the writer gave me a callback. At the Zoom callbacks, he told me that he had a unique offer for me. He said that he really wanted me to be in the show, but because of the logistics, he had to cast someone local to New York. In between our meetings, he seemed to have found out that I also produce. In our callback, he said that he wanted to give me his show to produce in Philadelphia, and he wanted me to play that role in Philadelphia. It was such a cool conversation. I had never been given a show before. He told me that it was up to me to find a director and cast, and he trusted me to do that. Over the next several months, I found a director, Julianne Kastner, and together, we cast the show. At the time, I didn’t know any of the people I hired to direct and act all that well. Julianne and I were friends from a show we had previously done, but we had only worked together once. Everyone we picked seemed great, and the production seemed promising, but I also didn’t know them very well. It turns out that this little show was one of the best professional decisions I ever made.

The show sold out almost the entire run. We had companies that were partnering with us. We had such a fun and supportive rehearsal room. The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote about our show. Some restaurants wanted to pick up the show and turn it into a murder mystery dinner theatre experience. Our little show was gaining recognition, and it was amazing. One day, we were about to start the show, and the theater was sold out. We were all backstage getting really excited to start. I was waiting backstage in the wings with one of my cast mates, and he turned to me and said, “You did this.” Those three words made all of my work worth it. It was the coolest and most rewarding feeling to do all of this work for a show and have it be a success.

After this show, our group, who started out as just being my acquaintances, became some of my good friends. I was actually really sad that the show was ending because I didn’t want to stop working with them. Fortunately for me, they felt the same way. One day, we were all talking, and we decided that we didn’t need to stop. We could form a theatre company and continue making the theatre that we loved. We could continue working together. And we did. We formed Pier Players Theatre Company. Pier Players Theatre Company was named after the pier that we frequently rehearse on. It quickly became our theatre company’s home. Our logo design is inspired by the pier’s logo. Our company is so close-knit and personal, and even our designs reflect that. It was amazing that I found a group of collaborators who also shared my goal of creating a company. And the fact that these collaborators are now some of my close friends makes the experience better than I could have imagined.

Over the past 2 years, we have produced 4 different shows: Larry’s Late Show (which we did 3 times in 3 different places), an original children’s show, a SciFi comedy called Mars Doesn’t Want Us, and The Angry Grammarian, which is the show we’re currently working on (I wrote about that all in the first question on this form, but I’d be happy to write about it again because I love it so much).

In general, my work on these shows was in all areas of the production. I acted in the shows, so I spent time in rehearsals with my castmates and performed. On the production side, I was involved in all areas. I created budget spreadsheets for each production, and I carefully made sure that all of our design elements were represented in the budget. I also made sure to monitor all of our spending. I helped with overseeing other production elements. Sometimes that included just approving graphics, and sometimes that included editing posts, creating prop-tracking spreadsheets, researching and purchasing various production elements, and sourcing different materials. One of my biggest personal tasks is one that I’m most proud of, which is our outreach fundraising strategy. I started researching businesses that were either physically located near our venues or were somehow thematically connected to our show. I contacted them and sold them advertisements. I created a pitch script, and I’ve been tweaking it over the past several years. I feel that I’ve really learned how to sell our shows. I also feel that producing the shows makes me equipped to do this. Since I’m so involved in every area of the show, I know the shows so well. I can speak endlessly about the projects that I work on because my involvement is so deep, and I know all of the ins and outs of each show. Through this outreach, our company has established multiple strong partnerships. We have great relationships with a lot of local businesses around the city. They want to continually support us. They have said that they really like that we take the time to spotlight them. I love strengthening these relationships. It helps us in so many ways. It gets our name out into the Philadelphia community, it helps us financially, and it’s a way to build relationships with other Philly businesses. This type of advertisement and partnership outreach is something that I think is really unique to our production process, and it’s something that I’m really proud of.

In general, I’m really proud of my work. I’m really proud of being able to form a theatre company. I’m proud that I keep growing my leadership skills. I’m proud that I get to act continually with my friends and most trusted collaborators. I’m also really grateful to have the support of these collaborators to continue auditioning and performing outside of my own company as well. I feel that producing and performing has made me become a better leader, and it has given me much more confidence to pursue this field and pursue my passion. I can’t think of anything else that I’d rather be doing. All of the hours that I spend on these productions are so worth it.

This past weekend, I was at my friend’s birthday party. I knew a decent amount of people at the party, but I didn’t know anyone super well. Somehow, everyone I talked to knew about Pier Players and The Angry Grammarian. Part of this is because we’re connected on social media, and I make posts about my shows, but part of it, they said, is because of our marketing and outreach. I feel like I’ve found a great team who continually helps to realize our shared dream of creating something and putting it out into the world. It feels surreal to say that people are actually hearing about us, and they know and appreciate our work. I’m so grateful, and I’m so excited to continue working with my company, and in general, to continue auditioning, performing, producing, and pursuing my dream career.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I think there are a few aspects that I’d classify as most rewarding. First, as an artist, I get to spend every day doing something that I absolutely love. It’s something that I really care about and something that I have a lot of fun doing. It’s not lost on me that my work day includes getting to get into costume, singing, and having fun. It’s not lost on me that my rehearsals feel like social activities because I have a blast rehearsing and getting to be creative with other people. It’s also not lost on me that when I produce shows, I’m able to be a part of choosing shows that I personally really care about. I feel so passionately about all of my work. And I feel really grateful for that. I truly love what I do. I have so much fun with what I do. And to be able to spend all of my days and nights doing something that I really love, and being able to bring my dreams to reality, is so incredibly rewarding.

With my company, Pier Players, I tend to produce and perform in shows. This is truly my dream job. Getting to have this dual role enables me to have a hand in all areas. My absolute favorite thing to do is to perform. Being able to produce a show that I’m also performing in really makes me feel like I’m a part of everything. I get to see what’s happening on stage and off. On stage, I get to have an amazing time performing, bonding with my cast members, and following my dream of performing. Off stage, I get to help make the entire show happen, from production elements to fundraising and outreach to administrative tasks. When the show is a success, my producer brain feels so rewarded. With each production that I produce and perform in, I feel that I learn so much and grow as a leader, and it just feels so incredible and rewarding. This sounds so silly and cheesy, but even writing this, I’m smiling so much just thinking about how much I love producing and performing in shows and working with my theatre company.

One other rewarding aspect is the teammates that I’ve made along the way. It feels great to have built this network of trusted collaborators who continually want to work on shows as a team. Establishing these friendships and partnerships really feels extremely rewarding. I love my collaborators so much.

Finally, it feels so rewarding to be able to bring joy to audiences. Art is so important. It allows us to escape the outside world. It allows us to be entertained. Audiences look forward to going to the theatre because it’s fun. I love bringing that joy to audiences. I do a lot of children’s theatre too, and being able to help children learn about the world of performing and uncover the magic of theatre is always such an incredible feeling. With my theatre company, we produce a lot of comedies, and since we’re new, we value audience feedback immensely. Hearing about how much they enjoyed their experience and hearing them laugh in real time also feels incredibly rewarding as well.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My career goal for my entire life has been to be an actor. Every time I’ve gone into a new chapter of my life, this dream has been wrought with new challenges. For example, I went from being the lead in every high school show to being totally unknown in college. Then, after working up to the lead in college productions, I entered the professional world, and I didn’t know anyone. People do say that acting is an extremely hard profession because actors are always faced with rejection. They can’t actually ever fully prepare you for that level of rejection. Despite the rejections, though, it has still been my dream, and I have kept showing up at auditions and trying. Through seeing local theatre performances and opportunities, I was beginning to understand that, in Philly, you don’t always have to wait for someone to say yes to you. You can make your dreams happen yourself.

In addition to acting, I feel like producing was something I really enjoyed in college as well. I was seeing a lot of people in Philly showcasing themselves by also producing their own work. In college, I loved the ability to have that dual role, so I decided to try in the professional world, and now I run a theatre company, where my regular job is producing work that I also perform in.

This is all to say that my mission is to find a way to be creative, make art, and perform in the city that I love so much. I really want to establish myself as an artist here, and I’ve learned that a way to do that is to take it upon myself, find people who share that same goal, and continually make art. My Pier Players board members share these aspirations. Together, we’ve established ourselves as a theatre company and have taken charge of our projects and have been continually creating theatre.

My company’s mission statement is “to support, promote, and give a platform to the Philadelphia community’s new works and new visions for pre-existing pieces.” This mission statement is an extension of my own dreams and mission statement. As a Philadelphia artist, I want to be able to perform in all types of work, and I really want to be able to have some agency in what that work is. That could be a brand new original piece or a classic that I’ve always wanted to be in. And, through this company, I want to help uplift other artists in Philly who share the same dreams too!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.chelseacylinder.com
• Instagram: @cecylinder
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@cylindercylinder4254
• Other: I have a podcast with my dad! We do Father/Daughter movie reviews, and our podcast is called Cylinder Cylinder. Here is a link to our website: www.cylindercylinder.com. Here is a link to our TikTok profile: https://www.tiktok.com/@cylinder.cylinder

  Here are some ways to hear more about Pier Players:
  Instagram: @pierplayers
  Facebook: Pier Players Theatre Company
  Linktree: linktr.ee/pierplayers
  The Angry Grammarian website: https://www.theangrygrammarian.com/musical

Image Credits

Paul Sirochman

Julianne Kastner

Beth Jurman

Sam Goldwert

Kate Brighter