ABOUT & CONTACT — Chelsea M. Warren

Chelsea M. Warren is a multidisciplinary artist with a focus on new work and reimagining the old with particular interest in scripts which feature the voices of Women, LBGTQIA+ and the BIPOC community.

As both a responsive and self-generative artist, the underlying exploration of her work is innovative communication which furthers curiosity, empathy and discovery.
Puppetry advances with each project by matching style to story: cloth muppet-style for Hand to God, silicon rubber for toddlers in Stinkers, and reed-armature for the dragon in Shrek the Musical. Since the start of the pandemic, I had the opportunity to train with a renowned Czech puppet master via zoom. This training informs my ongoing puppet project, She Took to the Sea, which incorporates the mediums of hand carved Czech-style puppets, toy theatre, shadow puppetry and rear projection stop animation.
Seeking to be involved in projects which promote values both in the work and its creation including anti-racism, gender parity, environmentally conscious creation and pay & labor equity.
SCENIC DESIGN work at companies including: Steppenwolf Theatre, Penumbra Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, City Theatre, Jungle Theater, Victory Gardens Theatre, Studio Theatre, Cleveland Play House, Geva Theatre, Milwaukee Rep, and Steep Theatre.
PUPPET DESIGN work at companies including: Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Jungle Theater, Studio Theatre in D.C., Links Hall, and the Skokie Valley Symphony Orchestra.
ASSISTANT SCENIC DESIGN to Todd Rosenthal at companies including: Alliance and Goodman Theatre. Assistant Scenic Designer to Daniel Ostling at companies including: Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera, Lincoln Center, Goodman Theatre, LookingGlass Theatre, Syracuse Stage, Alliance, and Playwright’s Horizon.
Interested in Toy Theatre? Chelsea created some Toy Theatre InstructionVideos with Jungle Theatre over the pandemic. See those here.

AWARDS

Awarded the 2020 Twin City Theater Bloggers: Favorite Scenic Design for Ride the Cyclone at Jungle Theater

Awarded the 2012 Michael Maggio Emerging Designer Award
Nominated for Equity Jeff Award for Mid Size Scenic Design for The Kid Thing
Nominated for Equity Jeff Award for Mid Size Scenic Design for After All the Terrible Things I Do, About Face Theatre.

AFFILIATIONS

Member of United Scenic Artists Local 829. Co-Chair of Scenic Design Category Committee
Associate Professor of Scenic Design at Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama
Ensemble Member at Steep Theatre, Chicago
Member of the Michael Merritt Steering Committee
Founding member of Yellow House, a devised theatre company working in both site specific and theatrical environments with the goal of placing design and performance in direct dialogue
Member of Stones/Air, an art installation collective based in South Australia
Received an MFA in Stage Design from Northwestern University

COLLABORATORS

Jonathan Berry, director https://www.jonathandberry101.com/
Ann Boyd, director
Thomas Dixon, sound http://www.thomasdixonsound.com/
Heather Gilbert, lighting designer http://hgilbertdesign.com/
Sally Goers Fox, director
Sarah Hughey, lighting designer http://skhugheylighting.com/
Izumi Inaba, costume designer https://izumiinaba.jimdofree.com/
Sarah Rasmussen, director http://www.srasmussen.com/
T. Carlis Roberts, sound designer https://tcarlisroberts.com/
Joanie Schultz, director http://www.joanieschultz.com/