Bronte Jane Hobson

Theatre Practitioner

Intimacy in the Workplace Workshop: A Review

  • In less than six months, because of the viral #metoo hashtag, a vital conversation about sexual violence has been thrust into the national dialogue. What started as local grassroots work has expanded to reach a global community of survivors from all walks of life and helped to de-stigmatize the act of surviving by highlighting the breadth and impact of a sexual violence worldwide. (Me Too, 2018)

Founded in 2006, the Me Too movement initially engaged in helping young black women heal from sexual violence and abuse. That initial vision has expanded globally, with people of both sexes and various backgrounds discussing the issue of sexual violence and abuse. Discussion around sexual misconduct has become more and more prevalent within the theatre and film industry, with movements such as Not In Our House, Let Us Work and Intimacy Directors International (I.D.I) proposing appropriate methods of conduct within a rehearsal and performance space. In her essay What Theatre Artists and Administrators Should Know About Sexual Harassment (2017), Cheryl Davis explains that those

  • in positions of power (or perceived power) can exercise a lot of control in a rehearsal environment, and control can occasionally lead to abuse. (Davis, 2017)

Theatre is an intimate art form. Performers and practitioners constantly explore and simulate human situations, emotions and circumstances. The line between what is fiction and what is reality can often become blurred, exposing the performer or practitioner to emotions that they otherwise should not feel. The work that I want to make will be challenging, evocative and potentially difficult for my cast if appropriate conduct is neglected. A rehearsal space should be somewhere safe and contained that allows performers to explore human intimacy and violence in a controlled and careful manner.

  • Like fight choreographers, intimacy choreographers or directors look to determine not only the best way to interpret and stage a scene but also how to do so in a respectful professional manner adhering to the highest standards of artistry and safety. (Lehmann and Morris, 2018, p. 19)

As a year group, we took part in an intimacy workshop led by I.D.I UK’s Yarit Dor. Dor explained to us her role as both a fight director and intimacy director. She talked us through consent and how it must be given freely and that it can just as easily be retracted. She also ran us through the rehearsal process, from casting to the show, and how a company would rehearse and perform intimacy on stage. We explored the pillars of safe intimacy practice and we experienced the process of choreographing intimacy. For example, I asked my partner if I could place my hands on her upper arms to interpret friends greeting each other. After demonstrating on my own body and after she gave me her full consent, I proceeded to place my hands on my partner’s arms.

In participating in this workshop, I feel confident that my practice can be made safer and more controlled for both myself and my cast. Our theatre company has assigned the role of intimacy director/ liaison to both a male and female company member to ensure that our future cast and ourselves as founders feel like we have a comfortable point of contact, should any issues regarding sexual misconduct occur. As a contemporary theatre company, we intend to be as engaged as we can with current affairs, including intimacy and safe, appropriate conduct in a workplace.

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