Last night was the Silver Palm Awards, and just over two weeks away are the Carbonells (see more on my thoughts on the Carbonells here). There were no speeches at the Silver Palms, and I do not expect to win the Carbonell in the category I was nominated for. (Not false humility. The video projection mappings nominated in Artistic Speciality were cool AF!)
So, I’ve decided to write and post a thank you speech here.And, best of all, there’s no time limit!
First, I have to thank Pedram for supporting me in pursuing art, dance, and theatre as a career. For holding me when I cried in frustration and celebrating my accomplishments beside me.
Matt Stabile and Niki Fridh deserve huge thanks for getting interested in and excited about this work early on, and trusting me with both The Glass Piano and To Fall in Love, and advocating for both me and the work, very publicly.
In that vein, Daimien Matherson and Measure for Measure Theatre deserve a shout out for the first professional production with a credited ID in South Florida in the fall of 2019.
To the directors that I collaborated with this past season, Elizabeth, Lou, Margaret, and Delicia, Stuart, Bill, Elena, Daimien, Peter, and Geoffrey, thank you for being such generous, talented to humans. Navigating new collaborations is never easy, but I know that the productions we were on were better because we worked together.
The ADs that made a budgetary commitment to Intimacy Direction, even though this season was full of unknowns also deserve recognition. I hope I have returned your investment well.
The actors that I collaborated with this season, especially Matt and Niki, Marlo and Denzel, Lindsey, Tim, Maha, and Alex, and Randall, Nathaniel, and Kevin, Gabe and Stephanie, and the entire cast of “I Hate Hamlet”. It was a pleasure and joy to work with you and see your characters come to life.
Deepest gratitude to Tonia Sina and Dan Granke for training me in Intimacy Direction.
And to the other champions of Intimacy work in the South Florida Theatre Community: Andie, Caryl, Suzanne, Gina, Christina, Carlos, Gaby. I appreciate you so much.
And to the judges and committees that found me and Intimacy Direction worth not only seeing, but rewarding. Thank you.
Finally, as I have every time I’ve gotten to talk about this lately, I remind you that INTIMACY DIRECTION / INTIMACY CHOREOGRAPHY MAKE EXCELLENT ART! Directors visions are realized with clear movement direction and choreography that held drive the story while upholding actors’ boundaries.