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WHAT IS INTIMACY DIRECTION AND COORDINATION? 

Intimacy direction and coordination consist of tools and practices that allow artists to create choreographed kissing, simulated sex acts, intimate touch, and instances of nudity/revealing dress in a way that is empowered, consent-based, professional, and repeatable. It involves choreography, discussing consent and boundaries, and occasionally masking as needed. 

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Think of it like fight choreography, but for intimate moments of storytelling. 

WHY SHOULD YOU HIRE AN INTIMACY DIRECTOR OR COORDINATOR? 

  • The use of intimacy directors and coordinators is quickly becoming the industry standard.

  • You get the expertise of someone who is trained in physical and emotional storytelling. 

  • It provides actors and artists with practical tools to create compelling storytelling in environments where they are empowered and respected.

  • It frees theatre artists from having to share their own intimate personal experiences.

  • It prevents putting artists on the spot for knowledge or vocabulary gaps.

  • It’s inclusive of trans, queer, and non-binary artists and stories.

  • It prevents creating an atmosphere of sexual abuse and/or harassment​.

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Want to know more?

Click one of the buttons below! 

While I work in various areas throughout Utah, much of my work takes place on the traditional lands of the Núu-agha-tʉvʉ-pʉ̱ (Ute), Goshute, and Eastern Shoshone peoples. White settlers seized the lands colonially known as the Salt Lake and Utah Valleys through the unratified and unfulfilled Treaty of Spanish Fork in 1865, in exchange for basic needs and rights, under the direction of Brigham Young. 

To learn some of the ways you can support members of these native peoples today (including land restoration and preservation), visit and/or donate to the following resources: 

Ute Land Trust

Urban Indian Center of Salt Lake

Utah Diné Bikéyah

Landback

Indigenous Action 

The Red Nation

 

I also recognize the stolen lives of the enslaved Africans brought to Utah by early white settlers, and acknowledge that their subjugation and forced labor helped to establish the cities that exist in this area today. 

To learn about direct action you can take for racial justice, visit and/or donate to the following resources:

The Black Menaces

The National African-American Reparations Commission

The Center for Anti-Racist Research

Resmaa Menakem and Somatic Abolitionism

 

These acknowledgments are only one step in anti-racist theater, film, and television. I strive to de-colonize my work through careful project selection, meaningful collaboration, ongoing conversation, self education, and uplifting the voices who have been marginalized by white supremacy.

© Liz Whittaker

lizwhittakeremail@gmail.com

208.709.8945

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