The Libertine – 2007 (Rep 21)
“Here's a chance to check out some young talent directed and mentored by established Toronto artists. Rep 21, a new company made up of acting grads from North Bay's Canadore College theatre arts program, hits town with three shows in four days. The trio of plays deal with 20-somethings trying to define themselves in an urban environment. Rod Carley directs Stephen Jeffreys's The Libertine , based on the life of the Earl of Rochester featuring Jeff Miller and Hume Baugh.”
NOW Magazine
Henry V – 2006 (Adaptation set during the 1967 Stanley Cup play-offs between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens)
“It's hockey and Shakespeare like you've never seen it before!”
CBC Radio
HigH Life – 2002 (Northern Ontario Premiere)
“HigH Life is smart, slick and clean as a whistle. Impeccably directed. Disturbingly funny - in this Northern Ontario premiere, director Rod Carley showcases some of the finest acting talent in the North. The theatre exploded at the end of the performance, people leaping to their feet screaming and applauding.”
CBC Radio
“HigH Life high on humour . . . the mood is established as soon as the actors take the stage . . . a hilarious look at the usually serious and dark world of drug use.”
The North Bay Nugget
“I have never seen an audience in Timmins leap to its feet in spontaneous applause as last night for HigH Life. I have not been mesmerized by a play to such an extent in a long, long time . . . an adrenalin rush from the moment the lights came up. Amazing! Simply ingenious! Extraordinary performances. Terrific direction from Rod Carley.”
The Timmins Daily Press
Fire In The Stable (New Work Premiere) - 1998
“There is an intelligence to both the script and the performance of it, and Carley's efficient direction exploits the best of both.”
The Ottawa Citizen
The Othello Project – 1995
“Clever - a jazz riff on Shakespeare with the feeling of Tennessee Williams.”
CBC Radio
“A fascinating fitting idea . . . theatrical brilliance . . . strong ensemble work . . . original text remains unmauled.”
The Toronto Star
“...Powerful Othello set in South . . . Rod Carley elicits both good ensemble work and fine individual contributions as he sets Shakespeare's tragedy in 1960s Mississippi . . . he succeeds marvelously well, producing a vital and throbbing production, staged with inventive movement and precise speed . . . he truly makes us see the play anew.”
Kate Taylor, The Globe and Mail
King Lear - 1991
“By setting this Lear in Victorian times, director Rod Carley successfully brings the tragedy to a more modern human scale. This Lear is economical and intimate. The results are human and familiar.”
The Globe and Mail
“The play became a powerful instrument - intimate with dark, frenzied action and strong acting. Lear's dysfunctional family is still relevant.”
The Toronto Star
Coriolanus - 1997
“. . . a fresh approach that is eye-catching and intriguing - Carley has taken Coriolanus and turned him into Wyatt Earp, the gunfighter who fought at the OK Corral in 1881.”
Kate Taylor, The Globe and Mail
“Carley's radical artistic approach has strong dramatic impact.”
Jon Kaplan, NOW Magazine
“Carley's walking tall with latest adaptation . . . a gutsy directorial choice that pays off.”
The Recorder and Times
All's Well That Ends Well - 1997
“Still it's hard not to give so much of the credit for the outstanding success of All's Well That Ends Well to Toronto director Rod Carley. After all, it was he who had the idea to transform this Shakespearean comedy into a sometimes campy, sometimes ghoulish vampire fable. And it was he who coaxed magnificent performances out of the cast.”
The Kingston Whig-Standard
Julius Caesar - 1996
“Julius Caesar with a Rod Carley twist.”
The Recorder and Times
“Carley's JFK parallel works.”
The Ottawa Citizen
“Power politics and conspiracy converge with the contemporary fascination regarding the JFK assassination.”
NOW Magazine
Hamlet - 1995
“The acting is nothing short of amazing. The use of a few stage props to create a host of different scenes is impressive.”
The Whig-Standard
“Carley's Hamlet shines.”
The Recorder and Times
“For theatre buffs, Hamlet is a welcomed addition to Riverfest. Carley is to be commended for undertaking such a challenging play in this setting.”
CBC Radio
The Crucible - 1988
“Carley's adaptation of The Crucible set in a post-apocalyptic future . . . newer, darker vision . . . new relevance.”
The Toronto Star
“. . . in revival, AIDS is Crucible.”
NOW Magazine
“riveting . . . Carley's design concept is powerfully moving . . . a show full of sensitive performances.”
The Guardian
Macbeth - 1993
“Those who think theatre is the place for adventure, experimentation and artistic creativity should not miss this Macbeth. Director Rod Carley has pulled out all the stops, thrown caution to the wind and come up with a two and a half hour production that jolts from scene to scene with the audience being pulled along at times by an almost invisible thread. From the opening scene - which starts in the traditional way and then takes off to parts unknown in Sicily in 1939 - to the final word the play takes twist after twist.”
The Herald
The House of Bernarda Alba - 1993
“The play can be seen as Lorca's metaphor for the political complexities of despotic Spain. Carley has created an atmosphere of urgency and passion, whatever way the metaphor works.”
The Lance
Our Country's Good - 1998
“This is the genius of Carley: making history something that happens in your own backyard. It is truly a masterful portrayal of a difficult play, and Carley, by using his gifted directing skills, has been able to create some of the strongest ensemble work I've ever seen.”
The North Bay Nugget
Oedipus - 1994
“Oedipus is an extremely difficult piece to tackle. Carley has taken a chance and it has paid off, lifting potentially tedious speeches off the page. He builds scenes carefully to their climaxes with admirable intensity, drawing every possible bit of drama from the text.”
The Toronto Star
Dinosaur Dreams - 1992
“A literate and intelligent Canadian family drama that gets a good production under director Rod Carley of Walking Shadow Theatre with a solid cast.”
The Globe and Mail
A Place Like Pamela - 1990
“Modern spin on an 18th century tale . . . the actors manoeuvre around the tiny stage with virtuosity, and director Rod Carley marshals the tension of the situation, releasing it in unexpected traumatic outbursts.”
The Globe and Mail
