(Photo: Alexis Black working with student actors on an intimate moment during the MSU Department of Theatre production of “Bonnets: How Ladies of Good Breeding Are Induced to Murder”)
by Chris Peterson
I saw a TikTok recently about directors serving as the intimacy professional for their own productions. The person was against it, and I agree. I would have a concern about asking actors to bring their discomfort to the same person who may be causing it.
I understand that in community theatre, people take on several responsibilities. There may not be enough money or enough people available to fill every position separately. But when it comes to staging intimacy, I think having another trained person involved is something a theatre needs to make room for.
Think about it from the actor’s position. The director wants a kiss to last longer, or wants their hands somewhere they aren’t comfortable putting them. The actor may want to say something but worry about how the director will respond. Will they be considered difficult? Will this affect whether they get cast again? Those are reasonable concerns, especially if this is a theatre where they hope to keep performing.
And if the director is also the intimacy professional, who are they supposed to talk to?
Some directors reading this may say their actors know they can come to them about anything. I hope that is true. But you don’t necessarily know what someone has decided to keep to themselves. An actor agreeing to your direction does not always mean they are comfortable with it. They may just want to get through the rehearsal without having a conversation they are worried about having.
Being a caring director also doesn’t mean you have the training to do this work. I would want someone involved who knows how to establish boundaries with the actors and help stage the scene within those boundaries. The director can explain what they want the scene to accomplish. There should be room for someone else to help figure out how to get there.
I can already hear the budget concerns. Those are fair, and I know finding the money can be difficult. Still, if you are choosing a production that requires intimate scenes, this should be part of the discussion before rehearsals begin. Waiting until the actors are standing in front of you is too late to start wondering how you will handle it.
This can help the director as well. You may have an idea that you don’t realize puts an actor in an uncomfortable position. I would rather have someone bring that to my attention while we can address it than find out after the show closes that an actor dreaded rehearsing that scene.
I don’t think it is unreasonable to ask a theatre to bring in someone trained for this responsibility. Directors already have plenty to do. This is one job I believe should belong to someone else.