Introduction to Intimacy for the Stage

Introduction to Intimacy for the Stage

With Samantha Kaufman

An Intimacy Director’s International certified Intimacy Director

**There is a minimum participant requirment for this workshop. If this requirement is not reached, students will be notified via email November 10 and will receive a full refund. In all other cases, sales are final.**

$25 deposit (hold spot in class), $75 due upon arrival at workshop.

Class Description 

In this workshop, participants learn specific techniques for accessing their vulnerability in a dramatic context, resulting in powerful chemistry between characters without compromising personal boundaries. Focus is on subtle and specific details in choreography, and on acting exercises to keep partners connected physically and emotionally.  It is an exploration of intimacy within a dramatic context for the purpose of telling the story of the scene. This class also touches on how to approach preparing for scenes of intimacy in rehearsal, consent, boundaries, your rights, and psychological safety. This is not just kissing or sex scenes. The principles can include the intimacy between parents and children, between dear friends, and can also apply to scenes of sexual violence.

Touching (handshakes, handholding, hugging) through guided contact improv is part of the course. Kissing is not required. While the goal is to explore emotional and physical intimacy, the core concept of this work is Safety, for the facilitation of safe exploration. All touching is consensual, and participants are always invited to sit out and watch, should they feel uncomfortable or triggered.

While this introductory workshop is geared towards a performer's perspective, participants are welcome from all theatrical disciplines to participate and learn more about intimacy for the stage.

Goals

To train the students in a working knowledge of the basic principles of Intimacy for the Stage. Focusing on The Pillars of Intimacy, students will learn how to advocate for their own safety when an Intimacy Director is not present, collaborate with an Intimacy Director when one is present, and explore specificity within moments of Intimacy.

Format

Each class will follow the structure: introduction to concept, practice, discussion.

Topics Included

• Instant Chemistry: simple acting exercises to facilitate mutual trust and to create chemistry with any scene partner


• Consent: physical work and emotional preparation for more effective scenes of intimacy


• The Pillars: guidelines for approaching scenes of Intimacy, including script work, communication of personal boundaries, consent, and other professional etiquette practices


• Playing with Specificity: techniques and ideas to begin exploring your own methods of maintaining your own psychological health, assuring your own resilience and the quality of your craft

What is IDI?

Intimacy Directors International (IDI) is a not for profit organization comprised of artists from around the world who are trained to choreograph and direct scenes of an intimate nature for the stage and screen. Founded by Tonia Sina, Siobhan Richardson, and Alicia Rodis, IDI's mandate is to provide compelling physical and emotional storytelling within intimate scenes - including hand-holding, nudity, kissing, and/or simulated sexual activities - while also maintaining the physical and psychological safety of all involved. As active advocates for performer safety, IDI sets and maintains a high standard for proper consent, sexual harassment awareness, overall safety, and dramaturgical expertise. IDI shares this knowledge through intimacy direction for productions and intimacy workshops for a broad range of participants and subject matter. 
http://www.teamidi.org/

Instructor Background

Samantha Kaufman is an actor and movement director; specializing in fight direction, intimacy direction, and circus theatre. After being transplanted to Chicago to study circus arts with Actors Gymnasium; she is now based in the Midwest region and travels to perform in and fight/intimacy/movement direct productions across the nation. She has her BFA from the University of Wyoming and her MFA from Florida Atlantic University. A Jeff Nominated Fight Choreographer. She is also an advanced actor/combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors and an intermediate actor/combatant with Fight Directors Canada. In all her work, Samantha is dedicated to the growth and development of the art form and the artists, in order to support a vibrant and healthy artistic community.

Samantha is a certified Intimacy Director with IDI. She has been staging intimacy for years but since completing the Intimacy Directors International’s O’Neill Pedagogy Intensive her hunger to spread this work has grown daily. She is fiercely passionate about advocacy for artists and spreading consent practices through theatre and circus communities. She couldn’t be prouder of the opportunities to empower artists with this work.

samanthakaufman.weebly.com/intimacy-direction