Consent and choreography: Meet Atlantic Canada’s first intimacy coordinator
These scenes are technical. They should be technical.
Samantha Wilson is an actor, director and assistant professor at Dalhousie University’s Fountain School of Performing Arts, and the first intimacy coordinator in Atlantic Canada. She spoke with the Dalhousie Gazette about her role as an intimacy coordinator, misconceptions and the importance of consent.
Wilson’s responses were edited for clarity, grammar and length.
The Dalhousie Gazette: What does an intimacy coordinator do?
Samantha Wilson: The job has three main elements: advocating, liaising between departments and choreography. So, helping to realize the director’s vision for intimate scenes while working within the actor’s boundaries.
DG: How did you become an intimacy coordinator?
SW: I was directing a show in 2018, and it had a non-consensual simulated sex scene. At the time, intimacy coordinators hadn’t emerged yet as a career path. In my rehearsals, I started to think about my own path of intimacy as an actor and realized that there had to be a better way to work. I just struck the zeitgeist at the right moment where my interest and research intersected.
DG: You work in both theatre and film. How does an intimacy coordinator’s role differ between the stage and a film set?
SW: Theatre is a longer rehearsal process, and the choreography has to be sustainable and repeatable over eight show weeks, whereas film works very quickly. It’s just a different approach to the work. But with both forms, working with an intimacy coordinator is about creating consent-forward spaces.
DG: What is the biggest misconception people have about intimacy coordination?
SW: That it’s going to stifle the work and impede spontaneity, but that’s not the case. These scenes are technical. They should be technical. There’s a lot of beats and choreography involved in the staging or filming of these scenes. When we understand other people’s boundaries as well as our own, it actually creates a freedom in the exploration of the choreography between the people in the scene.
DG: What does your day-to-day look like when you are on set or in rehearsal?
SW: In the theatre, it starts with a general talk about our approach to handling intimacy. We go through protocols before proceeding, and I meet with each actor individually to have boundary check-ins. That stuff is not so different from film. But with film, because things are moving on such a tight timeline, those conversations typically happen before we arrive at a set. In both cases, I meet with the director before the project begins so that I’m clear on the vision. That way, I can take their vision and speak to the actors to understand where consent intersects with the director’s vision.
DG: What’s the process of choreographing these scenes?
SW: We break it down beat by beat. It always starts with a discussion about context: why this moment is necessary, what the circumstances are, and what’s happening in these people’s lives that they find themselves here now. Clarity of context is very important, and then we’re really specific with choreography. It is very technical.
DG: How do we establish and maintain consent in an environment where power dynamics between performers, directors, and producers are already in play? SW: Well, that’s exactly it, right? I direct theatre, and I can’t be my own intimacy coordinator because the power dynamic is intrinsic to my role. Intimacy coordinators are there to be a third party, acting as an advocate and liaison. We are communication avenues for people to consent to what is being asked and allow them space to speak up if something needs to change. There are lots of ways to tell a story and find an intimate moment. It’s my job to find the story that works for the actors and supports the director’s vision. The important thing about consent is that it’s revocable. It must be given and also removed if something changes.
