Don't miss Caitlyn's presentation on staging intimacy in the theatre at URCAD, April 19-25th at:
URCAD.umbc.edu
Abstract
Mentor: Susan Stroupe (Theatre)
Intimacy Direction is a movement pedagogy used to stage intimate moments in theatre and film. In the past decade, the demand for intimacy coordinators and choreographers has grown exponentially, but the need for this work has been around much longer. Intimacy direction arose from the need to have a safe process for choreographing intimacy that both reduced the potential for abuses of power and created better performances. This research will exemplify why the consent-based practices of intimacy direction is the only way forward for theatre by first looking at the development of intimacy direction in recent theatrical history, and then discussing intersectionality between intimacy direction and anti-racist theatre movement. Consent-based practices are transforming theatre, along with the anti-racist theatre movement, which centers Black, Indigenous and People of Color’s voices in a long overdue conversation about racial equity. These changes to the theatre systems can redistribute power to make theatre more ethical and safe. This research will not only demonstrate how theatrical intimacy creates better performances but also how it encourages society to reframe how it views sex, intimacy and consent. This crucial change in theatre culture is the only way forward.
