On the 20th November 2019, my course mates and I took part in a workshop in London on the topic of Intimacy in the Workplace. The experience was eye opening and gave me the opportunity to further open my mind to changes that the theatre, television, and film industry sourly need to make. The workshop was run by a director from Intimacy Directors International UK. IDI UK is a branch of the major IDI company, aiming to educate studios and artists around the world on the correct way to use intimacy in the world of theatre, television, and film. They will often work with film studios and theatre companies, working as directors along side the creative teams to make sure everything that is happening fits within the guidelines for a safe working environment.
So, what is intimacy? What does IDI consider as intimate?
INTIMACY is defined as any moment which portrays:
- intimate physical contact – this may include, but not restricted to:
Kissing and intimate touch
Creating chemistry and attraction
Intimacy between parents and children
Intimacy between friends
Portrayal of sexual actions
Portrayal of traumatic events which involve intimacy
Portrayal of sexual violence
- Non-contact based Intimacy – can include moments of tension between characters, attraction, chemistry or intimacy where no contact exists such as nudity.
– (International Directors International UK, 2017)
Above is an extract from the IDI website, bringing together everything they consider intimate. These are the situations they feel people need to treat with care, adhering to their rules and guidelines – no matter the field.
IDI has an inherent link with the ‘me too’ movement. This movement has become a massive help for survivors of sexual assault for many years now. They are a safe haven for people around the world who need to be heard and listened to. Below is an extract from their website, telling the history of the ‘me too’ movement and where they first found that help was greatly needed.
‘The ‘me too.’ movement was founded in 2006 to help survivors of sexual violence, particularly Black women and girls, and other young women of color from low wealth communities, find pathways to healing.’
– (Me Too, 2018)
‘Me too’ inherently link with IDI due to the common factor of what they both deal with. IDI have seen the importance of fixing the dramatic industries, whereas ‘me too’ have aimed to help individuals. Both teams working in tandem pose a big fight against any form of sexual harassment, and both dream a future where they are not in as high of a demand.
IDI taught us many ideas and new ways of thinking during our workshop. One was a counter way of working with your directorial team that is connected to something that I personally was made very aware of on my first day in theatre. That directors want someone compliant; people who will say yes to all of their ideas, only building upon them and never shutting them down. If someone says can you do this, the answer must be yes. IDI has given a different response, something that will make the actor feel less pressured to do things that they may not want, or have the capability, to do. Instead of saying “Yes”, the answer should be “No, but…”. An actor shouldn’t stomp on the idea of a director, but that doesn’t mean that the idea can’t change slightly or evolve into something different, that both performer and creative are happy AND comfortable with. This “no, but…” says that if you are to say no to something then you can, and should, put forward what you are comfortable with. The idea is based upon compromise and a shared enthusiasm for creating art that serves the story, entertains the audience, and keeps everyone involved comfortable.
This idea is also connected to consent. There is a lot to be said about consent and how it can be misconstrued or completely tossed aside in some cases. IDI ask that consent is there from the first meeting of director and actor. The director needs to be able to fully describe any scenes surrounding intimacy in an easy to understand way, so that the actor can have time upfront to decide if they are comfortable with all of the scenes in question. This is a very important step, beginning the changes at the start and setting off the director-actor relationship on a good platform. Below is a quote by Cheryl Davis, highlighting an important issue on the vulnerability of actors.
‘Performers can be in a peculiarly vulnerable position where sexual harassment is concerned. Directors and others 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)
The “no, but…” method also gets everyone in the industry more comfortable with saying no. No is a scary word in theatre. There are games played where you are discouraged from using the word. There is a saying connected to the word no that was instilled in my brain from my early years of theatre that said “No is like a closed door. You must open the door to allow the performance to grow, flourish, and survive.” And if the opposite of a closed door is an open one, then the opposite of no has to be yes. Thinking back on this ideology now it feels barbaric. It has served its purpose in creating amazing work, however, at the cost of so many peoples comfort – and that is not something that should be okay.
Our IDI director asked us to practice consent, the ideology of asking permission in advance, and saying no, through a series of games and activities. One game consisted of an altered version of person to person. Person to person pairs up two people while another will say body parts for the two to attempt to touch. The IDI version now implements a moment before where both people have time to say what they are comfortable with and what they aren’t. They also say their area of comfort – that being the extent you will allow people into your personal space. Once commenced one member of the group will ask if they are okay to touch the other through a handshake, hug, high five, etc. The person has every right to say no and is encouraged to respond with something similar that they are comfortable with. The game builds and each pair is asked to practice different responses throughout the game, helping them to feel comfortable with accepting or denying any offer.
At the end of the day theatre, to me, is about feeling. Actors, writers, directors, and audience must feel something about the story laid out in front of them if they are to connect to it. As a human race we are not always going to feel comfortable in every situation in life, and so in theatre (something that in some cases reflects real life) we are not always going to feel comfortable. An audience member may feel uncomfortable watching a show because a line said reminded them that a family member recently passed away. An actor may feel uncomfortable because they had a big fall out with another actor and now performing with them feels weird. A director may feel uncomfortable because they’re way over budget. Being uncomfortable is inevitable in any part of life. I have spoken a lot about comfort, when I think what I have been intending to say is that emotional, mental, and physical well being is in constant jeopardy with the current way of doing things. The work that IDI does is important because they are there to make sure that people are safe, comfortable, and most importantly IDI are protecting people from situations that can damage their spirit, their heart, their mind, and their life.
Bibliography
Davis, C (2017) What Theatre Artists and Administrators Should Know About Sexual Harassment [Internet]. Available from https://howlround.com/what-theatre-artists-and-administrators-should-know-about-sexual-harassment [Accessed 23rd April 2020].
Intimacy Directors International UK (2019) Team IDI-UK [Internet]. Available from https://www.teamidi-uk.org/ [Accessed 23rd April 2020]
Lehmann, S.M. and Morris, C. (2018) Facing (and Fixing) the Problem of Sexual Harassment in Theatre [Post-print]. Southern Theatre. pp. 9-23. Available from https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5984c4a0cd39c369f61bbf0f/t/5bce80bee4966b5e2c2388c7/1540260045383/MeTooSouthernTheatre.pdf [Accessed 23rd April 2020].
Me Too (2018) Me Too. [Internet]. Available from https://metoomvmt.org/ [Accessed 23rd April 2020]