Staged Intimacy, By The Book

June 12, 2023

MSU theatre professors advocate for safety, boundaries and better storytelling through intimacy direction education, an emerging stage and screen discipline that aims to respect the boundaries of the individuals performing moments of intense physical contact. 

“Intimacy direction is so important because it empowers actors to have agency, to have body autonomy in every part of the show,” said Alexis Black, assistant professor of acting movement in the Department of Theatre. Black, a former Broadway fight director and certified intimacy director, educates theatre students and  professionals about the importance of boundaries and consent.

Black has been teaching intimacy direction workshops since 2020 alongside Tina M. Newhauser, head of MSU’s BFA Stage Management Program. The pair published “Supporting Staged Intimacy: A Practical Guide for Theatre Creatives, Managers and Crew” in late 2022, and held a book signing in February at the Drama Book Shop, a famous hangout for theatre professionals in New York City. 

Newhauser believes intimacy directors will become a regular part of productions. “We didn’t always have fight directors, and they eventually became the norm,” she  said. “I think having intimacy directors will just be the norm, which is what we want. Considered and cared for should be the norm.”