Silver Palm Award

I am so honored to share that I have been awarded a Silver Palm for Outstanding Intimacy Direction in the 2021-22 season for :

See full list Silver Palm Award recipients here.

The Silver Palms are a South Florida theatre community award, not based on categories or binaries, but rather recognizing “Outstanding Contribution to the South Florida Theater Season.” To have been recognized for 4 separate shows is an honor. I’m also gratified to see another show that I worked on, Gringolandia, also be recognized on this list.

These four shows really demonstrate the variety that can be defined as an “intimate scene”. We had everything from simulated sex to breastfeeding, tender moments to spicy ones, and physicality spanning the 1800s to the 21st century.

These shows also demonstrate that Intimacy Direction makes the story clearer, better, safer, and that that’s a good thing! One of the “concerns” with Intimacy Direction is that it will tone it down, or like silly Sean Bean thinks, take away the spontaneity (like that’s a bad thing….). To Fall in Love and Overactive Letdown show up on this list of awardees multiple times, as does Gringolandia. Island City Stage and Theatre Lab appear as awardees several times. Intimacy Direction contributed to the success and good receptions of these shows. It did not diminish it or harm it.

As awards for Intimacy Direction are given, and as shows that have an Intimacy Director on their creative times are recognized, I hope that other South Florida theatre companies, and companies across the country, will recognize the legitimacy of this work as a creative and cultural benefit to their shows and companies. Yes, we make the intimate moments safer and clearer. Yes, we uphold actor boundaries and directors’ vision. Yes, we are advocates and movement professionals.

I don’t know if I get to thank anyone at the Palms gala. But I’ll be posting here a thank you, because this is a collaborative field, and I love being a part of this theatre community.