Profile

Chelsey Lee Gaddy is a native of Asheville, North Carolina, and a 2006 graduate of Mars Hill University. She moved back to Asheville 9 years ago after a diverse career in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, where she did everything from impersonating Lucille Ball to singing backup for Dolly Parton. Most recently she has starred as Hazel Grubbs in Golden Boy of the Blue Ridge, Linda in The Wedding Singer, Cathy in The Last Five Years, and Alice Murphy in the WNC Regional Premiere of Steve Martin’s Bright Star. Her MFA in acting from Florida Atlantic University has provided a variety of experience in both teaching and performance, and led her back to her alma mater as the director of the MHU musical theatre program. Chelsey teaches a variety of classes, and her specialty is preparing students for professional careers in the arts after graduation. She is currently the senior artistic director for Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre, a nonprofit professional theatre company housed on the campus of Mars Hill University. Voted “Best of WNC” for multiple years under her management, SART provides relevant professional theatrical experience for MHU students before they graduate. In her spare time, she is actively involved in connective networking throughout western North Carolina to promote inclusion in education and theatre, autism acceptance, and support for survivors of domestic violence. Chelsey’s passion is finding effective ways for using theatre as a vehicle for societal change. She is blessed to have the opportunity to be both a mother and an artist, bringing her tenacity and dedication to the theatrical home that shaped the beginning of her career.