Brave spaces, brave productions.
As an intimacy director/choreographer, I employ a consent-based practice to support a director's vision while working within the actors' boundaries.
My Process
I employ a collaborative approach to directing/choreographing intimacy, working with the director and other team members to stage moments of intimacy that support the storytelling. I create brave spaces by helping actors articulate their boundaries and by fostering an environment of consent. I model a consent based practice through the use of desexualized language, respecting and setting personal and professional boundaries, and assisting with the documentation of intimacy choreography. I work to anticipate obstacles and provide actors, directors, and stage managers with tools and techniques for addressing obstacles when they arise. I support productions from conception to execution or at any point in the process.
What does working with an intimacy director/choreographer look like?
There is no one size fits all model to collaborating, but a process might look something like this:
1. Initial consultation where we discuss the needs of the show, the vision of the director (including any non-negotiables), how we might collaborate, and the casting process.
2. Providing support for crafting consent-based casting materials.
3. In pre-production, collaborating with all members of the production team, laying the groundwork for a consent-based process through support and building common vocabulary.
4. During rehearsal, working with the director to stage moments of intimacy. There are many models for this work. This work includes preliminary staging as well as revisiting the choreography at least once during the process.
For more information about the process of working with an ID and how Amy might be involved in your production, please click here.
1. Initial consultation where we discuss the needs of the show, the vision of the director (including any non-negotiables), how we might collaborate, and the casting process.
2. Providing support for crafting consent-based casting materials.
3. In pre-production, collaborating with all members of the production team, laying the groundwork for a consent-based process through support and building common vocabulary.
4. During rehearsal, working with the director to stage moments of intimacy. There are many models for this work. This work includes preliminary staging as well as revisiting the choreography at least once during the process.
For more information about the process of working with an ID and how Amy might be involved in your production, please click here.
My Experience
I came to intimacy direction through directing, recognizing a need to create spaces conducive to exploration and bravery. Trained as a teacher, director, and in unarmed stage combat, I began by applying these techniques to my work, relying on my expertise in building community in order to create brave creative spaces. Though I have been staging intimacy in the shows that I have directed for over ten years, I recently completed formal training with Theatrical Intimacy Education.