Kayla Howard attended the Theatrical Intimacy Education Weekend Workshop this summer in Denver, thanks to support from the College of Fine Arts Medici Circle.
Howard, a senior majoring in theatre arts and minoring in adolescence, community, and education, worked with educators and working professionals in intimacy choreography and coodination. Theatrical Intimacy Education is the oldest established organization for training in intimacy practices for performing arts. This summer, Howard expanded her knowledge in intimacy choreography, all to create a safer rehearsal space for actors like herself. She received training rooted in ethics, developing progressive practices in creating intimate scenes.
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She learned from an expansive list of faculty in the program, including CEO and Co-Founder Laura Rikard.
“Through lecture and hands-on practice, we were able to practice as the actor, as well as practice being the intimacy choreographer.”
In these hands-on workshop activities, Howard learned skills in both chemistry building and boundaries in a scene through Rikard’s curriculum and pedagogy. She learned the importance of safety while storytelling too.
Chemistry building activities “support the integral idea that in intimacy choreography, chemistry can be choreographed with any boundary. A good director and intimacy choreographer can make their vision come to life while respecting any physical boundary of all actors involved.”
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Howard also gained experience in making a story come to life.
“Working with fellow intimacy choreographers to workshop our own scenes was a fantastic experience,” she said. “It taught us how to work with actors’ boundaries while still effectively creating the story and emotional impact that our director had in mind.”
Medici Circle Appreciation
“Thank you so much to my donor Barbara Molotsky, who without her support and generosity this experience would not have been possible.”
Previously on Medici Mondays …
- Gwen Buettner, dance (09.01.25)
- Cole Nagoda, music (09.08.15)