The 2017 #MeToo movement brought to light the problems which have been hidden throughout our society for years. What had been experienced by many, and ignored by the powerful was called to attention and those who had experienced this abuse came forward with their stories. This was the first time a movement has made such big waves in our society. Samhita Mukhopadhyay notes that:
the #MeToo movement took hold of the public imagination. We started to have conversations about the ways women face harassment and trauma, often in the workplace. We looked at the intersectional nature of sexual abuse and whose stories get priority. Some men were held accountable, while some decried the movement had already gone too far. (Mukhopadhyay, 2019)
The affects of #MeToo are still being felt now, three years later. Powerful men are continually being held accountable for their actions. This is perhaps most visible in the entertainment industry; Harvey Weinstein was perhaps the most notorious predator exposed however many more have followed him. Despite the obvious changes which have been made in removing these men from power and in some cases prosecuting them, a lot more has been done in recent years in the entertainment industry to ensure the safety of those who work within it. One such change is the rise of intimacy direction.
Whilst intimacy direction has been a concept since 2006 when Tonia Sina published her thesis, Intimate Encounters: Staging Intimacy and sensuality, the role has only gained real prominence in the past few years. In theatre, if a scene involves dance or fight choreography for a long time it has been accepted that it is important for this to be coordinated and rehearsed, so as to ensure the safety of those involved however, when it comes to scenes of intimacy this has rarely been the case. Perhaps we have been more keen to look at safety in fight scenes because of the inherent danger to physical health which is perhaps not first as obvious when it comes to scenes of a sexual nature. Tonia Sina notes “ Scenes with sex and intimate contact may not seem as physically dangerous as fight scenes, and yet, there are physical as well as emotional hazards.”(Sina, 2006.) Actors and directors are expected to improvise or figure it out on their own however, recently this mentality has been called into question as it leaves room for abuse of power and puts actors in a position in which they may feel uncomfortable to speak up. Allison Bibicoff highlights a possibility for this abuse
What if an actor decides, 4 weeks into an 8 week run, that their character feels like touching their scene partner’s breast during their passionate onstage kiss – even though that had never been discussed or rehearsed before? But they claim they were just “in the moment.” (Bibicoff, 2019)
This is where the role of Intimacy Director comes into play. An intimacy director is a trained professional who oversees and coordinates scenes involving intimacy, this could involve simulated sex, nudity etc. Their role also means ensuring that the actors are safe and comfortable and advocating on their behalf. This is important as we’ve seen what can happen when nobody acts on the behalf of the actor through the #MeToo movement.
Intimacy Directors International set out their five ‘pillars’ of intimacy. These are what they consider to be the steps which are important to take and the concepts to consider when choreographing an intimate scene. The five pillars are:
Context- all parties must understand the story, scene and the role intimacy plays within it
Communication- There must consistently be open and honest communication between the intimacy coordinator, director, actors etc
Consent- before any intimacy coordination informed consent must be established between the actors and their director.
Choreography- each scene of intimacy must be strictly choreographed and rehearsed and choreography must be adhered to throughout the entire production.
Closure- at the end of each rehearsal, actors are encouraged to develop a closing moment to distinguish from actions and feelings within the work to those in their normal lives.
These pillars allow actors to be safeguarded in their working environment and provide a framework for the work done by intimacy directors. One of the more important levels of this which I noticed when taking part in a workshop by IDI is that it should be encouraged that actors set up boundaries and are comfortable saying ‘no’. Ita O’brien, who runs Intimacy coordination workshops in America notes “Practicing saying ‘no’ is powerful, and bringing it into the work is empowering. Many people have real difficulty in being able to say ‘no’ for themselves, even when a ‘no’ is needed.” (O’brien, 2018) This is significant as actors in the past have often been encouraged to be ‘easy’ and do whatever the director may require of them. This leads to possible dangerous situations for these actors. Performers have told O’Brien “horror stories” of being “so scared of doing the intimate work that they would get pissed before they get on stage – and make themselves more unsafe by doing so” (O’brien, 2018) This highlights the need for these directors to continue their work in empowering actors to set boundaries and not be afraid to say no.
To conclude, it is clear that the rise of intimacy coordination and directing in the entertainment industry could help prevent some of the issues highlighted by the #MeToo movement by empowering actors and allowing them the basic right to work in a safe environment. While some have questioned whether intimacy direction could stifle the creativity of actors and create ‘boring’ work, I would argue that the safety of actors should come first and when it is infringed and their comfort overlooked, it can resort in damaging consequences which can only affect performances negatively. Moreover, Bibicoff notes that “often, because the actor feels safer in the process, the scene will end up being more powerful because the scene was handled with respect and specificity.” (Bibicoff, 2018)
Bibliography
Badham, V. and O’brien, I., 2018. ‘Is It OK For Me To Touch You Here?’: The People Making Rehearsal Rooms Safe. [online] the Guardian. Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/13/is-it-ok-for-me-to-touch-you-here-the-people-making-rehearsal-rooms-safe> [Accessed 28 April 2020].
Bibicoff, A., 2020. What Is Intimacy Direction? – At This Stage. [online] At This Stage. Available at: <https://thisstage.la/2019/09/intimacy-direction/> [Accessed 27 April 2020].
Mukhopadhyay, S., 2019. On #Metoo’s Second Anniversary, Tarana Burke Wants To Shift The Focus Back On Survivors. [online] Teen Vogue. Available at: <https://www.teenvogue.com/story/metoo-anniversary-tarana-burke> [Accessed 27 April 2020].
Sina, T., 2006. Intimate Encounters; Staging Intimacy And Sensuality. [online] Scholarscompass.vcu.edu. Available at: <https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2070&context=etd> [Accessed 27 April 2020].
Teamidi-uk.org. 2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.teamidi-uk.org/resources> [Accessed 28 April 2020].