By Lauren Phillips

You, as the director of a production, walk into the rehearsal room with your script in hand, ready for a productive rehearsal. You greet the actors – they’re ready to begin. They step into the space and begin their lines. You all know that there is a meaningful physical point of connection coming up in the script, but you’ve tried to avoid it thus far in order to avoid an awkward conversation. Suddenly, you’re in the moment, and your actors freeze. They look uncomfortable. Without any prior preparation, your actors don’t know what to do or expect from the other partner. You were afraid of this; you don’t have an intimacy director. You have no idea what to do. Have you ever been in this situation as a director? Have you ever been on the other side of this as an actor?

Christine Hellman, from Lucid Body House in NYC, expertly explained exactly what to do in this event in her workshop “What Can You Do To Protect Your Actors (or Yourself) If You Do Not Have an Intimacy Director”. This discussion, taking place via Zoom, was informative and accessible. Hellman’s tone was inviting, opening the floor to questions or comments at any time during the workshop. Using examples from her own professional experience, Hellman clearly described steps to take in the event that a production is without an intimacy director, as well as distributed practical tools that directors and actors can use to protect themselves while exploring intimate moments onstage.

The most effective way to avoid this scenario, of course, is to hire an intimacy director. In the workshop, Hellman referred to a very useful flowchart which asks the viewer a series of questions about the production. For example, if there is a scene that requires nudity onstage, an intimacy director should be hired without further question. For more nuanced intimate scenarios, the flowchart guides the user through a series of easy-to-follow questions that will inform them what the best steps to take are.

But what should you do when hiring an intimacy director is not an option for you or your company? Well, having a person who is interested in and has studied intimacy direction is better than nothing at all. Directors who are seeking to safely put intimacy on the stage should refer to the five pillars: Context, Consent, Communication, Choreography, and Closure. This is a practical resource that Hellman shared in the workshop. When staging intimacy, a director should make time for table-work with the script, receive verbal and detailed consent from actors every time intimate work is rehearsed, and communicate with actors regarding their understanding of the intimate moments. These steps will make choreographing an intimate scene much safer and more comfortable for all those involved.

One idea that Hellman brought forth was this comparison: if a play features violence that takes place onstage between two or more actors, a company with the resources to do so will hire a stage combat choreographer. Bringing in a professional will ensure that the scene is choreographed safely and effectively, avoiding physical injury while engaging in dangerous activities. This is the same with intimacy direction. A company, given the resources to do so, should seek to hire an intimacy director in order to ensure a safe environment for its actors. If an intimacy director is not a viable option, using the tools and techniques Hellman described in her workshop will make the experience of blocking an intimate moment safer and more comfortable for those involved. Moving toward a future in which intimacy direction is the norm in all theatre settings will ensure security and meaningful, consensual intimacy on stage for generations to come.