Chelsey played “Nurse Kelly” in Harvey in her initial role at the college, a part originally played by Peggy Dow in the classic motion picture starring James Stewart. She went on to accept a lead role in the Black Box Theatre production of Our Town, portraying “Emily Webb,” the play’s innocent yet ultimately wise protagonist.
“Words can’t describe how grateful I am to George [Roesler] for taking a chance on me,” Chelsey said. “I feel like I’ve come such a long way from my first role as ‘Nurse Kelly’ in Harvey and even my roles in Alice In Wonderland. I knew I enjoyed acting and wanted to pursue it, but after being cast as ‘Emily Webb’ and the production was over, I found that the experience definitely lit a fire for a goal that I am actively working toward.”
“Chelsey’s attitude is always positive and enthusiastic. During play rehearsals, she is very creative and her initiative is contagious. I know I can count on her to be fully committed to the project and to take on a leadership role. She makes rehearsal fun!”
George Roesler, Instructor of Theatre & Film Inver Hills Community College
Chelsey Siebenaler and George Roesler
Chelsey studied theatre, voice and piano at Inver Hills. She decided to audition for an Inver Hills Theatre production because she has always been intrigued by acting, but never got the chance in high school.
Her future plans are centered on pursuing an acting career in film by auditioning with talent agencies in the Twin Cities. She’s also open to auditioning for area plays, but breaking into film is her chief ambition. In October 2018, she landed work as an extra for an episode of The Adventures of Velvet Prozak, an upcoming online streaming series shot on location in Backus, Minnesota.
Realizing that launching a professional acting career is a formidable challenge, Chelsey has an auxiliary plan that involves enrolling in the Veterinary Technician program at Dakota County Technical College.
“I love animals and I’ve learned about animal care from my job in the pet food industry,” she said. “Becoming a vet tech is a relatively short process, too. My goal as a vet tech would be working with exotic pets such as snakes and avians.”
The Theatre department at Inver Hills offers a wide variety of courses, both practical and theoretical, that will give you the experience and knowledge you need to harness your talent. You can begin by taking introductory film, cinema and theatre courses that teach you how to view and analyze performances. You can follow through by taking practicum courses that provide hands-on learning in essential theatrical areas, including:
Acting
Directing
Oral interpretation of literature
Set construction
Scene painting
Lighting
Props
Makeup
Publicity
Costuming
Stage management
Creative drama for children
The Theatre department features two venues ideally suited for live theatrical performances, the 300-seat Inver Hills Theatre and the more intimate Black Box Theatre. The former features three plays a year, including a children’s play in April for students in area elementary schools.
George Roesler: “Inver Hills Theatre Department: It is the mission of the Theatre/Film department to improve students’ understanding of the role of theatre arts and film studies in lifelong learning, and to help students develop skills and capabilities in the performance of as well as appreciation for the theatre arts and cinema.
“Our Theatre and Film department is committed to building a deep appreciation for theatre and film on our campus and in our community. Courses in theatre and film focusing on performance, theory and history provide a crucial foundation if your goal is transferring to major in theatre, or if you like to hit the stage running in the area theatre community.”
Originally from Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, Chelsey is a 2015 graduate of the School Of Environmental Studies (SES) in Apple Valley. She is a scuba enthusiast and has earned Open Water and Advanced Diving certifications. She has gone scuba-diving in Sunfish Lake in Wisconsin and in the Caribbean Sea off Roatán, an island near the northern coast of Honduras. Planned destinations in the future include Australia and California.
Chelsea worked while going to Inver at Chuck & Don’s Pet Supplies in Eagan, putting in 32 hours a week. She plans to continue working at Chuck & Don’s while establishing her acting career and continuing her education.
Chelsea’s mom, Suzanne, works for Washington County; her dad, Steven, manages a Victory Auto location. Chelsea has four siblings, Timmy, 32, who works in medical manufacturing, Michael, 25, a mechanic at Victory Auto, Morgan, 22, who works at Life Time Fitness and on a cattle farm, and Aaron, 8, who’s going into 5th grade. The family cat is a 7-year-old Siamese named Chloe. Chelsey has her own cat as well, an 8-year-old Siamese snowshoe called Axel.
Besides scuba diving, Chelsea is an affiliate streamer on Twitch, a global-community video platform primarily dedicated to live-streaming videogames. Twitch uses built-in chat and has been called the “ESPN of videogames.” Chelsea streams Rocket League, a vehicular soccer multiplayer, and Overwatch, a team-based, first-person shooter. Her stream can be found at twitch.tv/its_kairos_. Kairos is the Greek word meaning a “time when conditions are right for the accomplishment of a crucial action.”¹
Chelsea also enjoys building her skill set as a scriptwriter. She’s working on teleplays for a sci-fi series called Genesis. Chelsey resides in Inver Grove Heights.
What is your highest goal as an actor? Work for Disney’s Marvel Entertainment in a Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) role.
What’s the favorite role you’ve played onstage? “Emily Webb” in Our Town. That was a serious role and my first lead. I liked the idea of the play. I made a lot of friends and connections during production.
What’s your greatest strength as an actor? My ability to embody a character and my comfortability transitioning in and out of said character when speaking to a director offstage or off camera.
What actor has influenced your work the most and why? Jennifer Lawrence. Before Silver Linings, I didn’t really know who she was, and her sudden growth in the film industry as well as her evolution as an actor gives me hope that if you really want something and pursue it, it will work out. I think she’s nailed all of the roles I’ve seen her act in even with the varying genres of film.
Three words that describe you as an actor:
COMFORTABLE. PASSIONATE. MOTIVATED.
What do you like best about studying theatre? Learning fluid movement, which is pretty common all around theater. I think knowing the general commands such as “move up stage/down stage,” “house right/left,” or “level with a character or prop” are helpful going into something, so you don’t have added confusion on learning lines and blocking as well as the layout of the stage.
What is the most challenging aspect of acting? Knowing what to do with the skills you’ve learned after graduating and finding other outlets has been my biggest challenge. I feel like you could be the best actor of your time, but without connections or the will to be aggressive in a very competitive field, progress can be difficult. Know your self-worth and have confidence in your ability, but also know that there is always something to work on.
What role do you most want to play? Pre-Avengers Black Widow. I want Marvel to make a movie about her backstory—something fierce.
Who is your favorite actor? Sebastian Stan [The Winter Soldier]. He can play a serious or comedic character very well, and his ability to show emotion with half his face covered for a majority of one movie is what first drew me to his acting ability.
One word that best describes your experience at Inver Hills:
EYE-OPENING.
Chelsey Siebenaler • 12 Answers
Favorite sport or physical activity: Exercising
Place you would most like to visit: Monterey Bay, California
The most exciting thing you’ve ever done: Dove 100 feet down for my advanced scuba-diving certification to explore a reef and small shipwreck off of the coast of Roatán, Honduras.
Three things you would do if you won a $1 billion lottery: 1) Pay off friends and my own debt 2) Move to LA and pursue acting 3) Hire an accountant for making investments and charitable donations.
Favorite TV show you’re watching now: Game Of Thrones
Best movie you’ve seen lately: Avengers: End Game
One thing you most want to accomplish in life: Be in a job that I both enjoy and can live comfortably with.
Your national bird if you could have one: Cassowary [the world’s most dangerous bird]
Dream occupation: Actor
Person you would most like to meet: Tom Holland
Skill you would most like to learn and master: Personal marketing
Most important issue or problem facing humankind: Climate change
What is the most challenging aspect of acting?
Place you would most like to visit: Monterey Bay, California
Your national bird if you could have one: Cassowary [the world’s most dangerous bird]
