How do we centre care and intimacy throughout the process of performance-making? Can we design a flexible process to work with the varied needs and boundaries within a group, particularly when addressing intimacy as a theme or featuring intimate scenes?

This 15-hour (5 sessions x 3 hours) foundational workshop series is facilitated by 7 performing arts and applied arts practitioners whose work is deeply informed by considerations around care and intimacy.

The second session of the workshop series features an ‘Introduction to Intimacy Direction’ workshop, led by Lizzy Talbot from Intimacy for Stage and Screen UK. This session will count towards the required training to be accredited as an Intimacy Director.

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Participants had to attend all sessions, which were conducted on Zoom. They were also asked to look at bit.ly/care-intimacy-thingstonote before completing the application form.

The team is currently in discussion to run further iterations of the workshop series given overwhelming interest for this first iteration. For further enquiries, please email care.intimacy@gmail.com.

Testimonials from participants

This workshop was run so well that it's set the bar for how I wish other workshops were run! I really appreciated the structures and procedures that were in place to ensure that everyone knew their boundaries and comfort levels would be actively respected. They created an environment where I felt able to learn and comfortable with sharing and discussing. I also liked that I came away from the workshop with both concrete/practical learning points (e.g. ways to prioritise consent and care for actors in the rehearsal process) and bigger, thornier questions about the way we work. Thank you to the whole team for a very valuable experience.

— Anonymous

The Making Performances with Care 2020 workshop was extremely well-organized, informative, and eye-opening. Besides learning about the fundamentals of care, consent, and intimacy, I took away a lot of ideas that I can now tangibly implement in my rehearsal rooms to create a space that is built on compassion and trust. There was a great balance between presentations, jam boards (free flow scribbling of ideas), and big-group as well as small-group discussions. The facilitators were supportive and knowledgeable while also continually learning from the participants––the workshop felt like a deeply collaborative space where we were all working to figure this out together, in a way that was exciting and gives me hope for the future. I hope this workshop series is given the support it needs to come back again, and that more people can attend it!

— Sim Yan Ying "YY", Theatre Artist

This was an incredibly helpful workshop that gave me the tools that I needed to better advocate for safe environments in the arts scene. The facilitators and instructors were knowledgeable and created a respectful learning space where we were able to delve into challenging topics about the current state of safety in the arts scene. There is still a lot to be done to ensure that performers and members of creative team are in a safe environment to explore their craft. For creators, there is also a need to be more mindful towards audience and their collaborators. This workshop is a first step to developing a community of care for arts practitioners in Singapore so please continue to support projects and initiatives that advocate for a more conducive and safe environment in the arts.

— Anonymous