Taking into account just how intimate of a space the theatre can be and how trusting actors and practitioners have to be when working together, it is vital that there are sanctions put in place to secure the safety and well-being of all involved. The number of places an actor can be asked to go mentally and physically can be draining on oneself and sometimes after rehearsals or a performance, there is a need to unpack or discuss what has been asked of body and mind. Safety and happiness should be key to any workplace and as a theatre practitioner, it is important to understand what is being done in your workplace to know how to look after yourself and your colleagues.
‘An Intimacy Director aims to set up a play space where the personal and professional are clearly distinguishable.’ (Siobhan Richardson, TheatreArtLife)
In London, my course peers and I took part in an intimacy in theatre workshop. In said workshop, we were shown more in depth the ways in which a company can take care of their cast/talent when working and the importance right now for this role in our current social and political climate. From what we can learn from history repeating itself; the truth will always come out in the end and this so seemed to happen in 2017 when the #metoo, initially founded in 2006, took Hollywood and, in turn, the world by storm. An extremely fitting yet sadly necessary campaign started to protect those who have been and are still being taken advantage of for someone else’s professional gain and satisfaction. What has been happening throughout most of human history finally came to a standstill on one of the worlds biggest stages: Hollywood, and sadly but effectively, the world finally started to listen. Blurred lines from boss to employee, director to actor or even from one actor to another can cause pain beyond physical and into emotional and phycological.
For example on the set of Abdellatif Kechiche’s 2013 film, ‘Blue is the Warmest Colour’, lead actress Léa Seydoux later commented on the filming of a rather graphic sex scene in the film saying she was ‘humiliated’ and felt like a ‘prostitute’ when filming the scene that took over a week to film. Seydoux later said she would never work with Kechiche again after her traumatising experience at her place of work. With this in mind, the control one human can feel over another when power is put into play can be extremely dangerous and this is where intimacy in the arts directors’ importance becomes evident; their role is to keep everyone safe and comfortable when simply doing their jobs, be that rehearsing, auditioning or even up until performing. Putting boundaries in place that ensure appropriate conduct with all working seems to be overkill, however sadly, history and even more current events prove that it is what is needed to keep everyone happy and relaxed so everyone can do their jobs intended.
Consent is KEY:
Not only the world of theatre, but in everyday life, consent is key. Without consent you have no right to do entering another’s personal space. Consent is something that can be given freely but also taken in the same manner just as easily. It is your duty as a fellow human to understand and abide by another’s consent. Asking before doing may seem a trivial task but you never know another person’s history and to keep dignity, asking your colleague whether or not it is okay to touch their shoulder for example, is the right and respectful thing to do.
‘Just because you consented to kissing in this scene, doesn’t mean that you consent to kiss in another scene. And certainly not to a kiss outside of the rehearsal hall.’ (Siobhan Richardson, TheatreArtLife)
How I have practiced theatre intimacy in my work?
When directing my Independent Practice as Research project in my final year of my degree, I wanted to make sure my cast was comfortable and happy; I would check in with them before rehearsals started and do a de-briefing after each rehearsal be it a chat with the full cast or induvial chats with cast members. My intention in doing this was to make sure my cast always felt like there was an open relationship with me as their director and a sincere line of conversation open to them which I, and my co-director, had created for them.
Especially with three out of four of my cast being female, and also with Jamie and I asking them to do very physical and putting themselves out in the open emotionally and physically, I wanted to show them that concerns were normal but our rehearsals were always a closed and safe space with either Jamie or I were available to talk if needed.
The Five C’s of Intimacy in Theatre:
1 CONTEXT
2 COMMUNICATION
3 CONSENT
4 CHOREOGRAPHY
5 CLOSURE
Bibliography
Morey, E (2019) The 5 Cs of Intimacy: In Conversation with Siobhan Richardson. TheatreArtLife [Internet], December 30th. Available from https://www.theatreartlife.com/one-and-done/5-cs-intimacy-conversation-siobhan-richardson/Accessed on 12th April 2020.
Strick, K (2018) Up close – but not too personal: The ‘intimacy workshops’ giving actors guidelines for sex scenes. Evening Standard [Internet], May 2nd. Available from https://www.standard.co.uk/go/london/theatre/up-close-but-not-too-personal-the-intimacy-workshops-giving-actors-guidelines-for-sex-scenes-a3828901.htmlAccessed on 12th April 2020.