Chelsea Dab Hilke is a director, dramaturg, and producer based in Montreal. She is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada’s Directing program and holds a Masters in Theatre and Performance Studies from York University. Chelsea is an associate artist with Centaur Theatre, and co-Artistic Director of Scaredy Cat Theatre, an emerging performing arts collective dedicated to presenting contemporary work that leans into the terror and play of taking aesthetic and narrative risks.

In her work, Chelsea is interested in investigating gender, medical systems, mothers, grief, Jewish-ness, memory, the precariousness of identity, and the end of the world... in no particular order. Her work spans forms and genres, including new and experimental plays, children’s theatre, and Opera. Since 2022, Chelsea has been developing Plays for the End of the World a short play series written by her close collaborator, award-winning playwright Cole Hayley. PEW has toured to festivals across the country under Scaredy Cat Theatre, and Chelsea is in the process of translating the work into French.

Coming up, Chelsea is thrilled to direct: Keffiyeh/Made in China, by Dalia Taha, with Teesri Duniya Theatre (Montreal), and There’s nothing you can do by Cole Hayley, with the Resource Centre for the Arts (St. John’s).

When not sending emails, Chelsea is trying to convince her 2nd cat to love her, admiring her growing plants, and eating meals with her family.