About

Carly L. Bodnar is a director, teaching artist, producer, and sometimes actor.

Carly attended Temple University and graduated Cum Laude with a BA in Theatre and a minor in Art History. Inside and outside of university Carly worked as an actor, director, prop designer, stage manager, stage crew, and in arts adminiatration. During her freshman year she worked for Brat Productions, a women run theatre company in Philadelphia. This opportunity taught her the ins and outs of running a small theatre company. Carly assisted with the season's productions and was able to observe rehearsals.

While studying abroad in London, Carly worked for another women run company Scarlet Theatre in the North of London. During her time with Scarlet Theatre, Carly once again had the ability to learn the administrative workings of a smaller theatre company. Outside of administive duties Carly was also a teaching artist in primary schools with Scarlet and attended a workshop with Grianne Bryne the artist director of Scarlet Theatre at Kent University. During her time with Scarlet Theatre Carly helped devise and perform in a site specific piece titled What is Space?

After university, Carly worked primarily as an actor and in various different fields. She worked as an administrative assistant and recruiter for a medical device consulting firm and as an administrative assitant for an engineering consulting firm. She also worked for multiple restaurants and catering companies as a server, bartender, and management. She trained and taught Les Mills Body Combat which is a mixed martial arts cardio kickboxing class, was the scheduler for the Arts Parlor, now Headlong Studios, and has been a freelance wedding coordinator.

Carly's acting experience spansfrom staged plays, to devised work, mystery dinner theatre and gay sensitivity training for the hospitality sector. She has worked with Shakespeare in Clark Park, Nature Theatre of Oklahoma, Egopo Classic Theater, Passage Theater, and Quince Productions to name a few.

Carly's teaching artist work started in high school running summer theatre camps through her local community theater. Since then she has worked with students of all ages. She has worked with Theatre Horizon for the past six years teaching 6-12 yr olds in semeter long residencies working on scripted pieces as well as their summer drama camps in which she helps students devise a piece of theatre in a week.

Carly has also worked with Philadelphia Theatre Company with their Philly Reality residency working with high schools to create a 10 minute piece that are then performed on the PTC mainstage. Carly has also taught adult acting classes with Delaware Theatre Company, shakespeare to High school students with Lantern Theatre Company, and PAEP teaching 7th and 8th graders.

Carly teaches multiple residencies with Walnut Street Theatre in their adopt-a-school program and various residencies working with K-8 students, the Walnut's new Disney Musicals in Schools which develops sustainable musical theatre programs in Philadelphia public elementary schools. She taught at Camp Walnut and various one week camps devising musicals with students 5-12. Carly also teachs at the HMS School for Children with Cerebral Palsy and St. Edmond's Home for Children.

Carly also teachs private acting and career coaching as well as leading workshops and speaking engagements. Carly has spoke at Middlesex County Vocational and Technical School through the McCarter Theatre Center, at the PA Thespian Conference, and at the University of the Arts.

After acting and teaching Carly decided to turn her focus to directing. She found her true calling in directing and has directed multiple production as well as workshoping pieces in readings and development. Some of Carly's work includes directing the Barrymore Recommended Blithe Spirit at Hedgerow Theatre Company, Stephen Sondhiem's Company and Tom Stoppard's Arcadia at La Salle University, the world premiere of All the Dead Biddles, and Sarah Treem’s A Feminine Ending. Carly was also the community chorus director for Shakespeare in Clark Park’s Coriolanus working with a chorus of fifty community members. She has assistant directed on Barrymore Recommended and Nominated productions at the Arden Theatre Company, Lantern Theatre and Hedgerow Theatre Company.

Carly was accepted and attended the highly competative Director's Lab West in 2018. She was also accepted into the highly competitive Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation Observership Pool for the 2018-2019 season

After years of creating theatre, Carly saw a gap in the amount of opportunities for women in the arts. Carly is co-artistic director/co-founder of ReVamp Collective, a feminist-centric theatre company in Philadelphia that works toward equality in theatre for women, artist of color, LGBTQ+, and non-binary artists. From debunking stereotypical women characters to providing opportunities to write plays, the company cultivates opportunities for artists in all realms of theatre. Providing a space for those whose voices are not usually heard is an integral part of ReVamp, ultimately, the company’s mission is fueled by community inclusiveness and the belief that art can change the world.

ReVamp Collective's first production, directed and partially written by Carly, Shit Men Have Said to Me: Tales of How Men and Women Communicate premiered as part of the first annual Mz. Fest at Plays and Players Theatre. The production was then accepted in the Cincy Fringe Festival. The piece was reworked and retitled Shit Men Have Said to Me or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Patriarchy. Other directing credits with ReVamp Collective include the world premiere of The Helen Project, the world premiere of Jimmy Gorski is Dead, a reading of Arlene Hutton's I Dream Before I Take the Stand and Lisa Fischel's one woman show, In The Terminus, as part of the 2015 Philadelphia Solow Fest.

Carly also cares about supporting the arts and is a member of Plays and Players Theatre Board, Shakespeare in Clark Park Artistic Advisory Committee, and was a nominator for four years with the Philadelphia Barrymore Awards.