(Chelsea Cree Groen as Glinda in “Wicked”. Photo courtesy of Chelsea Cree Groen.)
Some stories have a way of finding their way home. For Chelsea Cree Groen, Anna in Frozen is one of them. After touring nationally in Wicked and Hello, Dolly! and performing in regional theatres across the country, she’s returning to Phoenix for the first time since high school to play the Disney princess she’s dreamed of for nearly a decade.
Groen has built a remarkable career on the national stage, with credits that include the first national tour of Hello, Dolly!, performances in Wicked, and roles in regional productions across the country.
The timing couldn’t be more significant. Frozen opens The Phoenix Theatre Company’s historic 106th Season on September 24, 2025, running through October 26 in the brand-new Dr. Stacie J. & Richard J Stephenson Theatre. The production is a dazzling launch for a space designed to expand what’s possible onstage.
For Groen, it’s also a chance to pass the torch, continuing her family’s legacy on the same stage while inspiring the next generation watching from the audience.
Read our conversation with Groen below, as she shares what this role means to her, how it feels to come home, and why this production is unlike anything Phoenix has seen before.
Q: You’ve toured nationally with incredible productions across the country. How does it feel to return to The Phoenix Theatre Company to take on a dream role like Anna?
(Chelsea Cree Groen, age 15, as a showgirl in “Crazy for You” at TPTC. Photo courtesy of Chelsea Cree Groen.)
A: Coming home to perform this role is SO special to me for so many reasons. This is the first time I have performed in Phoenix since high school and I have grown up performing with so many of these cast members as a kid! I have been so lucky to live and work consistently in NYC, on tour, and regionally across the country, but this has also meant that I’m usually only able to come home twice a year, and I’ve lived across the country for practically half my life now. My parents and brother still live here and my brother now has two babies who I am obsessed with – a 10 month old and my niece who is almost 3 years old.
I am so grateful for this time to be so close to them while playing this role I have been working on and auditioning for the past 8 years!! Michael directed me in my very first professional show when I was 6(!!) years old so he has literally seen me grow up!
(Chelsea’s Grandma Cree in a production at the Phoenix Little Theatre. Photo courtesy of Chelsea Cree Groen.)
Additionally, I am actually a third generation performer at The Phoenix Theatre! My grandma Cree performed in shows here in the 60s and 70s and was even on the board of the Phoenix Little Theatre, and my Aunt Vicki also performed here in high school!! Finally, my niece is OBSESSED with Frozen and Anna is her favorite Disney Princess. This will be her first live musical and she gets to see her aunt play her favorite Princess which is just beyond special to me. She is already putting on nightly living room performances, and I think she may just be the 4th generation of performers on these stages in our family.
Q: Frozen has become a global phenomenon. What do you hope local audiences in Phoenix take away from seeing it at TPTC on a new stage for the very first time?
A: I personally have been BLOWN away by the immense talent and professionalism of the local performers and team here!! These Phoenix audiences are so lucky to have access to such high caliber productions and especially now in this gorgeous new space to see this massive spectacle of a show in!
I’m also so excited for the audience to be filled with so many kids who maybe have never seen a live musical before but are familiar with the movie!!! Disney movie musicals were what introduced me to the magic of musical theatre and what inspired me to perform myself after I saw my first stage musical- Beauty and the Beast. It’s going to be incredible and I am so excited to watch from the wings when I’m not onstage!
(Chelsea Cree Groen as Minnie Fay from the first national tour of “Hello Dolly!” Photo courtesy of Chelsea Cree Groen.)
Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received as a performer, and how do you apply it in a role like this?
A: My mom always told me “don’t take no for an answer,” as general life advice, and it’s been a mantra that’s been sort of essential to me in an industry where you get way more “no’s” than “yes’s” as an actor. This was probably my 10th time auditioning for Anna in Frozen over the years since the musical came out. I auditioned for the tour several times and numerous other regional productions of the show, and it’s just been a role I have always felt in my heart I was meant to play. So, I’m really really glad I didn’t give up on this dream because it feels so right and extra special to be finally playing it here so close to home!
Q: What are you most excited about as you prepare to play Anna?
A: Anna truly is a slightly more animated, and naive version of myself, so playing her in rehearsals so far feels so natural and fun for me. I am so excited to be fulfilling my childhood dream of playing a Disney princess, but I love that Anna is like a princess without the training- she has zero filter and just lives unapologetically and fiercely fights for the people she loves and the things she believes in! I also just love comedy and making people laugh, and she has a lot of great comedic moments!
Q: Is there a moment in the show (a song, a scene, or even a quiet beat) that you’re most excited for audiences to experience?
A: I personally cannot WAIT for “Let it Go” and to see how they do the big quick change!!! I am so excited to watch Elsa’s big moments from the wings because that is the ultimate theatre magic!
Event Details
What: Disney’s Frozen
When: September 24 – October 26, 2025
Where: The Phoenix Theatre Company, Dr. Stacie J. and Richard J Stephenson Theatre, 1825 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85004
Tickets: Available at www.phoenixtheatre.com or by calling the Box Office at (602) 254-2151
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