More On Theatrical Intimacy

[On 26 May, I posted an article on Rick On Theater entitled “A growing theater trend: The art of staging love” by Matthew J. Palm of the Orlando Sentinel.  When I first saw the article, it was the first I heard of theatrical intimacy designers, the name of the position Palm used in his article.  I did a little poking about the ‘Net and discovered that it was, indeed, “a growing trend.”  Some months later, I got an e-mail from the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.  SDC was getting on board with this new concern, growing out of the #MeToo movement. 

[Then a few weeks later, I got my copy of SAG-AFTRA, the member magazine for the film and television union.  In it was also an article on the same subject.  (SDC uses the title “intimacy choreographer” for the job Palm had written about, and SAG-AFTRA calls it “intimacy coordinator,” but the responsibility is the same.)

[I’m posting both the SDC e-mail, which arrived in my inbox on 23 July, and the un-credited SAG-AFTRA article, from the summer issue that arrived earlier this month, because I think this is an important move on the part of the professional entertainment industry—and I applaud the unions for getting out in front of the need and engaging their memberships in the issue.]

“Stage Directors And Choreographers Society & Intimacy Choreography”

[SDC, formerly known as Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers or SSDC (until 2009), was established in 1959, representing theatrical directors and choreographers, working on Broadway and on National tours, Off-Broadway, and in various resident, regional, stock, and dinner theatres throughout the United States.]

July 23, 2019

Dear Members and Associate Members,

As theatre artists and organizations encounter a changing discourse around staging sexual content and intimate moments, initiatives that provide awareness of the issues and positively shift our language and practices are essential in creating a safer and more empowered industry. We believe it is a part of SDC’s job to educate our Members on why the field of intimacy choreography has emerged and provide resources for building higher sensitivity and awareness around what is needed to ensure a context of consent in all rehearsal rooms. SDC recognizes that every project will need different resources and every director builds a rehearsal room in their own way.

Our approach, which will roll out over the next few months, is one of in-depth education that provides many paths and possibilities to staging intimacy versus mandating or endorsing a singular policy. That is not our place. But we do want to give directors and choreographers the tools for successfully grappling with intimacy onstage in our current ‘me too’ world and in doing so begin to set some best practices and standards. We deeply respect each individual Member’s unique approach to their craft, and we sincerely appreciate the emergence of intimacy choreography and support all artists to work purposefully and intentionally when it comes to issues of consent and sexual safety onstage, whether that be with an intimacy choreographer or not. 

To provide a wealth of information and resources to our Members, we will be creating an online and offline library where directors encountering sexual content or looking for guidance around intimacy staging may go. If you stage your own intimacy, SDC will offer you access to helpful language to assist you in creating the context for artists to speak up and actively set boundaries. If you want to learn more directly about the work of intimacy professionals, we will have information about what the field is, how it can help you, and where you can learn more. SDC will continue to provide our Members with resources for getting to know the community of intimacy choreographers and how to begin a collaborative dialogue with them.  And finally, we will develop resources to help Members navigate and negotiate the addition of an intimacy choreographer onto the collaborative team, whether requested by you, your employer, or an actor.  Everyone needs access to all the tools, even if they use them differently

Intimacy Choreography, A Vital & Emerging Field

In 2006, the field of intimacy choreography emerged primarily out of academic institutions as a training tool and research field for stage artists. This scholarly work then evolved into organizations outside the higher education field, which offer tools, education, consulting, and comprehensive resources for staging theatrical intimacy. The two primary organizations who offer training and who choreograph intimacy are Intimacy Directors International (IDI) and Theatrical Intimacy Education (TIE). In collaboration with specific intimacy choreography organizations, Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD) trains their choreographers in staging sexual violence. Many of these seasoned and trusted fight directors are now crossing over into intimacy choreography.

At the core of intimacy choreography is the use of a more formalized vocabulary and practice for staging intimacy or scenes of a sexual nature. The protocols of intimacy choreography give performers a common vocabulary that allows them to communicate with each other about the work they are doing and to define boundaries. There is a practice, a codified set of guidelines, that makes the process less intimidating and gives artists more agency in their own work.

Intimacy choreographers are experts in conversations of power and consent in any space where sexual content is being rehearsed. They aim to create cultures where artists are empowered to tell the clearest story possible without violating their own personal boundaries. And they ensure that throughout a run, the actors are continuing to have an open dialogue about the sexual staging, renewing consent and opening conversations to address the live and ever-changing nature of the theatre.

Techniques used by intimacy choreographers include: teaching languages of initial consent and renewal of consent, contact improvisation, checking in and out (making a ritual of intimacy, so actors have a mental separation of the work from their daily lives), and initiating channels for actors to communicate openly through the process about their experience. All of these tools give artists more agency to only agree to situations they feel physically and emotionally safe engaging in while continuing to respect the creative team and their process of telling a specific and compelling story.

With increased public awareness and discourse on sexual harassment and consent, many theatres, universities, and leaders in our field have felt a need to respond directly. Our field is addressing a critical need to improve the working conditions of our industry, and SDC is taking action as well.

Where We Stand

SDC believes that each director should have the freedom to tell the story they want to tell in the way they want to tell it. And we recognize a growing need in our industry to dismantle abusive power structures and respond to a tremendous outpouring of concern about how, on and off stage, we engage appropriately with one another. We look forward to leading the discourse around intimacy direction and providing vital resources for directors to uphold ethical practices and accomplish their best work.

With more resources to stage intimacy, we hope to give directors concrete tools to set-up systems in the rehearsal room and beyond. When actors are unified by a director around a specific language of consent, they are less likely to take actions that will put their fellow actors at risk. This shared awareness and work will ensure that stage intimacy continues to be consensual, even when directors have left the run.

“Uncomfortable” is not “unsafe.” SDC’s goal is to provide resources for safety. We understand that art can and often must be emotionally and physically challenging. We encourage our directors to make their most daring and rigorous work. And we believe that exciting and influential art can and should be done in spaces where consent and boundaries are firmly understood. With our comprehensive resources, our repository of points of view and research, we aim to give every director the support they need to build more awareness around issues of intimacy and create their own culture of open dialogue and consent.

While our comprehensive library is coming soon, CLICK HERE [SDC Member Portal] for immediate information about intimacy choreography and to share with us your experiences and needs on this topic. We look forward to being in dialogue with you, our Members and leaders of the theatre community, about this vital and ongoing issue.

In Solidarity,

Pam MacKinnon, President

John Rando, Executive Vice President

Michael John Garcès, First Vice President

Michael Wilson, Treasurer

Evan Yionoulis, Secretary

Seret Scott, Second Vice President

Leigh Silverman, Third Vice President

*  *  *  *

“Safety, Dignity & Integrity:

SAG-AFTRA to Standardize Guidelines for Intimacy Coordinators”

[This article appeared in SAG-AFTRA 8.2 (Summer 2019),  published quarterly by SAG-AFTRA, Los Angeles, Califormia.  The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, known as SAG-AFTRA, is the union that represents film and television actors, journalists, radio personalities, recording artists, singers, voice actors, and other media professionals worldwide.  The organization was formed in 2012 following the merger of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG – created in 1933) and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (created in 1937 as the American Federation of Radio Artists [AFRA], becoming AFTRA in 1952 after merger with the Television Authority).]

SAG-AFTRA has announced that it will collaborate with Alicia Rodis, the associate director and cofounder of Intimacy Directors International (IDI), the intimacy coordinators with IDI and other trained providers to standardize, codify and implement guidelines for on-set intimacy coordinators.

The guidelines will establish new, relevant policies for nudity and simulated sex and other hyper-exposed work; define the duties and standards for intimacy coordinators on productions; and specify acceptable training, vetting and qualifications of intimacy coordinators. Intimacy coordinators provide coaching for actors performing intimate scenes and ensure that proper protocols are followed while they are at their most vulnerable.

“Our goal is to normalize and promote the use of intimacy coordinators within our industry,” said SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris, adding, “Intimacy coordinators provide an important safety net for our members doing hyper-exposed work. At a time when the industry still needs to make great changes, our initiative will ensure the safety and security of SAG-AFTRA members while they work, and it respects the boundaries of actors.”

Added National Executive Director David White, “These specifically implemented guidelines will allow productions to run more efficiently while the specialized support empowers both cast and crew. We look forward to working with our industry partners and allies to ensure these guidelines work for our members and others on set. Many productions are already using intimacy coordinators, so it is imperative to codify and standardize the work to best benefit SAG-AFTRA members and the industry as a whole.”

SAG-AFTRA’s efforts are not just limited to on-set work. The union is committed to defending the rights and dignity of its members on the job, while pursuing work and in the public sphere. It has elevated the conversation on sexual harassment and abuse through its public policy advocacy efforts, including several pieces of legislation and by hosting a groundbreaking panel discussion on image-based sexual abuse, such as “deepfake” non-consensual sex scenes.

The union continues to pursue its goal to change the culture of harassment and abuse in the industry once and for all. Over the past year and a half in particular, SAG-AFTRA has made great strides toward this vision, starting with the rollout last February of the Four Pillars of Change framework for confronting harassment and advancing equity. This comprehensive initiative strengthens protections for members and holds productions to high standards of conduct through new rules and guidelines, enhanced education and resources, and public policy advocacy.

Introduced early last year, Code of Conduct Guideline No. 1 calls for an end to professional meetings and auditions in high-risk locations such as hotels and private residences, and encourages members to bring a support peer to auditions and meetings where safety may be a concern. SAG-AFTRA has since codified Code of Conduct Guideline No. 1 into the Netflix, Commercials and Network Television Code contracts, along with provisions that provide explicit personal harassment protections.

In collaboration with the SAG-AFTRA Foundation and The Actors Fund, SAG-AFTRA has expanded existing intervention tools and survivor support services. At SAG-AFTRA, more than 100 first- and rapid-responder staff have been trained across the organization, including specialized assessment and intervention training for field representatives. Additional experts have been brought on for intake and case management of complaints, and the union’s long-running 24/7 safety hotline has evolved to include a specialized trauma hotline for members who are experiencing, or who have experienced, sexual harassment or assault.

In addition, SAG-AFTRA is leading a proactive legislative agenda at the federal and state levels that expands and strengthens sexual harassment laws, mandates training for nonsupervisory staff, aims to dismantle the legal barriers to reporting misconduct, extends protections to workers outside of a traditional employment relationship, prohibits the use of nondisclosure agreements in employment agreements, and targets image-based sexual abuse and on-set coercion.

In California, for example, SAG-AFTRA supported the passage of Senate Bill 1300, which prohibits an employer from requiring an individual to sign away their rights under the state anti-discrimination and anti-harassment law in exchange for a raise or as a condition of employment. The law also prohibits employers from requiring an employee to sign any documents that deny an employee’s right to disclose information about unlawful acts in the workplace, including sexual harassment. Senate Bill 224 expanded sexual harassment protections to explicitly prohibit sexual harassment in certain business relationships that exist outside of the employer-employee legal structure, and Senate Bill 820 prohibited secrecy provisions in settlement agreements following sexual abuse, harassment and discrimination.

In New York, the union supported the successful passage of several bills over a twoyear period. Senate Bill 6577 adjusted the statute of limitations for second- and third-degree rape from 5 years to 20 and 10 years, respectively; enhanced damages to include punitive damages and attorney fees in employment discrimination cases; and lowered the “severe and pervasive” standard in sexual harassment cases that denies many victims recourse. Senate Bill 4345 made it a second-degree felony to coerce someone to appear nude in a film. New York state and city have both broadened the statute of limitations for filing sexual harassment claims from one year to three years and have expanded sexual harassment training requirements to nonsupervisors, an essential tool to address the harassment that can occur among co-workers or co-stars.

Together, these victories take on the culture of silence that protects abusers and reflect an evolving understanding of workplace harassment and abuse. Yet, despite measurable progress, there is more work to be done.

When it comes to sexually explicit material, performers should control the use of their images. Unfortunately, sophisticated, free digital technology enables creators to depict an individual as engaging in virtually any activity without their consent or participation, including nude performances and realistic sex acts. While this technology is often used to make deepfake porn, mainstream filmmakers have also used it to create digitized performances of actors without their consent. This technology is just one example of the challenges the union faces in protecting performers from image-based sexual abuse.

In May, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-California, chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, joined SAG-AFTRA for a panel discussion on how deepfake technology can be weaponized to harass and defame individuals, spread misinformation and undermine national security. Moderated by NBC4 anchor Colleen Williams with an introduction by Carteris, the panel featured White, digital forensics expert Hany Farid, law professor Mary Anne Franks, and SAG-AFTRA members and activists Alyssa Milano and Heidi Johanningmeier.

To address the growing threat to members, SAG-AFTRA sponsored California Senate Bill 564, introduced by state Sen. Connie Leyva, which would ban the creation and dissemination of nonconsensual digitally created sex scenes and nude performances, including deepfakes. The first of its kind, this legislation would give individuals reasonable time to decide before consenting to a digitized intimate scene and the right to sue creators where no consent was obtained at all. SB 564 passed with unanimous support, only to unfortunately be shelved in the Senate Appropriations Committee a few weeks later. SAG-AFTRA continues to pursue avenues in Sacramento that would ensure these protections for members.

SAG-AFTRA also supports H.R. 2896, known as the SHIELD Act, a federal bipartisan bill that would prohibit the intentional disclosure of intimate images that the subject intended to be private, often referred to as “revenge porn.” Performers, especially women, are frequent targets of this misconduct and are at risk of having their cell phones hacked or sensitive behind-the-scenes footage leaked. The bill was introduced in May by Reps. Jackie Speier and John Katko, with support from Sen. Kamala Harris. At a press conference that day, SAG-AFTRA member and activist Amber Heard, a survivor of such a nonconsensual disclosure, spoke about the public humiliation she experienced, and White voiced the need for legal remedies.

As the work unfolds, SAG-AFTRA will continue to work with industry stakeholders, subject-matter experts, lawmakers and members to secure the right to work safely and with respect, dignity and integrity.

_______

REPORT: If you believe you have experienced workplace harassment or unlawful discrimination, call your union at (855) SAG-AFTRA / (855) 724-2387 and press 1.

FOR AFTER-HOURS EMERGENCIES: (844) SAFER SET / (844) 723-3773 IF YOU ARE IN IMMEDIATE DANGER, DIAL 911 TO CONTACT LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT.

These numbers are always available on the back of your membership card, the Help Center on the sagaftra.org website and on your member app.

SUPPORT: For workplace harassment support services, including counseling and referrals, call the number below for the office nearest you. This service is provided in partnership with SAG-AFTRA, the SAG-AFTRA Foundation and The Actors Fund.

The Actors Fund, Los Angeles (323) 933-9244, ext. 455 • intakela@actorsfund.org

The Actors Fund, New York City (212) 221-7300, ext. 119 • intakeny@actorsfund.org

The Actors Fund, Chicago (312) 372-0989 • shaught@actorsfund.org