2022 was a big year of work for me. Here’s my year in review!
I started off the year as a certified Intimacy Director, with my certification pending for Intimacy Coordination with Intimacy Directors and Coordinators (see why I chose to get certified here).
While rehearsals started in December 2021, Gringolandia opened at Zoetic Stage in Miami in January, with my intimacy direction. This show was nominated for a Carbonell in several categories, and it was an honor to be a part of this creative team.
My first new gig of the year was intimacy coordination for BET+’s First Wives Club, season 3, episode 1, that aired this summer.
Then, I got to intimacy choreograph I Hate Hamlet at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre. This was a show scheduled for before the pandemic, that was rescheduled, and it was so exciting to see two years of pre-work on stage! Two actors from this production went on to win Carbonells for their performances, so I know we did good work. This was also the first time a lot of folks on the team had worked with an intimacy director, so it was exciting to hear things like “it actually made it more sexy”! (See the full quote here.)
After working as an intimacy coordinator on an MFA student film, I was back at Theatre Lab in Boca Raton as the intimacy director for Overactive Letdown, a new play by Miami playwright Gina Montet. This show stretched my creative muscles to work on scenes of modern intimacy, period-specific intimacy, breastfeeding, and more. I also learned a lot about myself as a choreographer and my own closure needs during this production. Two of the actors in this production were nominated for Carbonells, because their performances were stellar, and it was so fun to get to play with them in creating some of their moments. This is also one of the shows that was mentioned for my Silver Palm award.
Then, I was the intimacy coordinator for another student film, this time from UM, where I also teach dance. I’ve now been adjuncting there for 3 years, and while it is often challenging, it is also the place I most get to practice what I believe about trauma and consent in pedagogy and practice.
In May, I had the honor of intimacy choreographing my first opera, Agrippina, at Florida Grand Opera. While I had choreographed an opera, The Always Present Present, back in Philadelphia a decade ago, this is a less familiar medium to me. It was a challenging, rewarding process.
Summer, weirdly, had a ton of projects!
First up was City Theatre’s famous Summer Shorts program. This is a staple of Miami, and I was so excited to be involved in three of the pieces as the intimacy director. This was also my second time working with Margaret Ledford, who had also directed Overactive Letdown, and working with her is a great, collaborative, experience.
The summer’s big project was God Forbid: The Sex Scandal that Brought Down a Dynasty, directed by Billy Corben, for Hulu. I was the intimacy coordinator for the reenactments, and I have to say- this was my favorite thing, ever! It is some of the artsiest work I have done. Because we can’t see the actors’ faces, Billy, with our incredible cinematographer, Moss, set up some gorgeous shots we got to play. Not to mention, it was a personally fulfilling project (see more on that here).
I was the intimacy director for Shakespeare Troupe of South Florida’s staging of Romeo and Juliet. This was the first time I got to work on this iconic piece for intimacy choreography, and it was all I dreamed it could be. It was my first time working with this company, and I hope I get to, again!
For something completely different, I then went on to a new play! The world premiere of Borrowed by the Broadway Factor in Miami put me back in collaboration with fight director Lee Soroko. I love being able to collaborate with other artists and watch the moments we create become more than either of us could do on our own. The actors were so vulnerable and trusting through the whole process, and it was an honor to work with them.
Then, it was on to create intimacy choreography for another feature film for Hulu, and one for Netflix. At the same time, I was the intimacy coordinator for an independent film by Miami artists. Stay tuned for more info on those!
Based off of all of these new film credits, IDC moved me to fully certified status as an Intimacy Coordinator!
And, my year finished as the intimacy director for One in Two at Island City Stage. This show was nominated for several Carbonells, because it was a feat every night for the three actors. Each night, the audience would choose who was playing each role. Which meant the intimate scenes could be slightly different every night! This is also one of the shows that was mentioned for my Silver Palm award. I am so proud of what we accomplished with this production, that also carries an important message about AIDS among Black men.
I spent the fall finishing my MFA, so my signature now looks like this:
Nicole Perry, MFA, CLMA, Certified Intimacy Director/Coordinator!
Of course, I was teaching at UM, and for IDC, NDEO, LIMS, and DEEA all through the year as well. Through Momentum Stage, I was honored to present workshops on power, consent, boundaries, touch, for:
American Alliance for Theatre Education National Conference
Ann Craft Trust Safeguarding Adults in Sport Conference
Arts+Change Conference
City Theatre
New World School of the Arts Theatre Department
PADEO Day of Professional Development
PA Leadership Charter School Fine and Performing Arts Department
Shakespeare and Company
Theatre Lab
Theatrical Outfit
University of Miami Film and Dance Departments
University of Wyoming Dance Department
Utah Valley University Dance Department
The last 6 months have been hard (see that post here), but I am looking forward to 2023 with hope and anticipation that people will continue to see the value in intimacy direction and intimacy coordination, in training young artists to self-advocate, and in learning to teach and create more collaboratively than we ever have before.