Director

Attuned
Brave New Classics
February 2021

“Attuned, which Azarelo directed, strips away all the special effects and calls attention to Jess Jones-Gauslå’s gorgeous and emotive performance. Placing value on character and story over spectacle feels very theatrical in its intent, and yet in this case, makes for a surprisingly satisfying cinematic experience. It’s been less than a year since theaters shut down and virtual productions became the norm. Whereas in the beginning virtual theater didn’t amount to anything more than readings or talking heads in boxes, now productions like A Little Radical: Works by Alice Gerstenberg show just how far the play-film hybrid has come.”
— Lauren Van Hemert- RDU On Stage

Our Favorite Local Theatre of 2019: Serial

“Sometimes it all comes together. In this standout from an otherwise-shaky Open Doors Short Play Festival, newcomer Supriya Jaya’s up-to-the-minute script, Noelle Barnard Azarelo’s nuanced direction, and fine performances by Emily Levinstone and Sarah Richardson turned a deceptively cozy one-act domestic comedy into a delicate inquiry into murder’s role in modern relationships.”
— Byron Woods - Indy Week

He & She
Brave New Classics/WTF Fringe
July 2020

“Somehow, 100 years after its debut, Rachel Crothers’s prescient He & She maintains the requisite urgency at WTFringe…With a unified set motif--each actor is backed by an identical, gradually changing background--and detailed costumes, Azarelo’s production feels fully developed and all the actors are connected on one stage. The century-old text never feels dated, even in this high-tech virtual medium, as the actors speak naturally, not like vaudevillians. The Work-Home Balance conversation regarding women and their children is well-worn and, in the 21st century, ludicrous territory. But in Crothers’s 1920, verbalizing this public “concern” was uncharted territory. And this production feels as if we’re hearing it for the first time.”
— Dustin K. Britt- Chatham Life & Style

He & She
Brave New Classics/WTF Fringe
July 2020

“Their thoughtful and fully-developed virtual production of Rachel Crothers’s He & She for the 2020 Women’s Theatre Festival proved that their concept was viable: producing forgotten theatrical gems for a virtual audience...It seems that “diamond in the rough” applies not only to this company’s play selection, but to the company itself.”
— Dustin K. Britt - Chatham Life & Style

Serial
Sonorous Roads
October 2019

Directed by Noelle Barnard Azarelo, the witty Serial is the highlight. Emily Levinstone and Sarah Richardson play a snarky but loving couple staying in for a night of TV. Though one rags on the other’s love for serial-killer cable, she’s slowly drawn in by the show, which raises a delicate question about their relationship.
— Byron Woods - Indy Week

The Donor Agency
Cary Playwrights’ Forum
November 2017

“...it left us wanting more with its brisk, believable dialogue, Noelle Barnard Azarelo’s nuanced direction, and convincing performances from rising actor Michael Parker and veteran Laurel Ullman.”
— Byron Woods - Indy Week