An intimacy coordinator who has been involved with TV series such as “Sex Education,” “Normal People” and “I May Destroy You,” is working to create a two-year program being dubbed the “world’s first degree in intimacy practice.” Ita O’Brien is the founder of the UK-based Intimacy on Set, a consultancy specializing in helping actors in film, TV and theater move through sexual content and scenes with nudity. She teamed up with the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London to create the program, which will launch in September.
“To ensure we develop a profession which can proudly grow with excellence we need to be able to train talented individuals who can navigate the both physical and emotional journey that each actor will go on, and can responsibly and safely deliver the intimate content as envisioned by the director, the storytelling, and each character,” O’Brien said in a statement. The two-year course, culminating with a Master of Fine Arts degree, will teach students about on-screen nudity, the use of modesty garments, sexual health, consent, and sexual content as it applies to the stage and screen, according to Mountview Academy’s website. “The lecturers will hold expertise in a variety of areas,” the website reads, “such as awareness of sexual and intimate storytelling; open communication and transparency; power dynamics on set, in educational institutions, and in live performance; movement coaching and masking techniques; understanding of guild and union contracts that affect nudity and simulated sex; and health and safety training in the professional space.”
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