Amanda Cutting (she | her | hers)
An award-nominated actor and director, Amanda Liz, has been active in both professional and semi-professional Theatre, Film and Television for 22+ years. Amanda has worked as an actor advocate and Intimacy choreographer/coordinator for the last six years and is currently a certified intimacy coordinator and intimacy director with IDC formally IDI. She has a variety of certifications to qualify her in the field, among them basic firearms for film, stage combat and mental health first aid. Amanda works internationally, assisting in creating safe workplaces for artists on both stage and film sets. She is one of the few Intimacy Directors that also specializes in youth intimacy and safety. This past year she was the first intimacy coordinator to be hired by Bollywood, for the Webseries Mastram (MX Player) which has become the highest viewed series in the world with 616 million views. Amanda is in the process of creating a physical movement lexicon for Intimacy which hopefully will be published at the end of 2021.She has worked for theatres such as Neptune Theatre and Arts Club and shows such as Game of Thrones Prequel (HBO) The Magicians (NBC/Universal), and The Bold Type (Freeform), The Good Doctor (ABC), Radio Nowhere(CBS). [November 24, 2020]
Siobhan Richardson (she | her)
Siobhan Richardson is a pioneer voice in Intimacy in for Stage and Screen, a start-up committee member for the National Society of Intimacy Professionals (Canada), and was a co-founder of Intimacy Directors International (USA and international). As a member of the negotiating team, Siobhan was an instrumental element for bringing articles regarding Intimacy and Intimacy Directors into the CTA. She is the first certified Intimacy Director in Canada. Her work as an Intimacy Director has appeared at the National Arts Centre, The Canadian Opera Company, The Shaw Festival, The Stratford Festival, Soulpepper, Tarragon Theatre, and Factory Theatre to name a few, and at numerous Theatre Training Institutions across Canada.
She has been teaching Intimacy extensively across this land, from Vancouver to Halifax and into Europe, in professional and amateur settings, and in educational institutions. In addition, she has been teaching online for several years, and as such, has had the pleasure to further connect with international artists and audiences. As an educator in professional settings and in secondary and post-secondary schools, she has taught foundation Intimacy and Respectful Workspaces principles across Canada to hundreds, if not thousands, of people. As part of her portfolio, she routinely advises on avenues of research when programs are seeking to transform their policies.
Always infusing Joyfulness and Curiosity into the work, Siobhan is dedicated to the growth and development of the art forms, the artists and the workplaces. She builds upon current practices, inspired by historical sources, drawing upon a variety of styles and approaches, infused with current research and developing ideas. Her approach to movement arts draws parallels to the actor’s process in order to connect movement technique to the characters objectives, obstacles and tactics. From a physical perspective, her classes examine structure and biomechanics to expand physical vocabulary. It is her dearest wish to foster and support a vibrant and healthy artistic community, and to help performers around the world connect more through their bodies to continually grow as storytellers and joyful co-workers.
Instagram: @fighteractress
Facebook: /SiobhanRichardsonFighterActress
www.siobhanrichardson.com/intimacy
Phay Moores (she | they)
Phay currently lives on the stolen traditional territory of the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlim) Nation and often works on the stolen traditional territories of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/ Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Phay is an intimacy director, intimacy coordinator trainee, director, internationally-trained actor combatant, and professional actor based in what is colonially known as Vancouver. She is English, French, and Assiniboine. She was introduced to the world of intimacy in performance by IDI co-founder Siobhan Richardson and IDC ID and IC Rachel Flesher in 2016. She recently completed an internship as an artistic associate and producer for Full Circle: First Nations Performance and the Talking Stick Festival. She has been the Intimacy Director/Coordinator on various projects around Vancouver and is a content creator and editor for the National Society of Intimacy Professionals. Phay’s goal is to continue to provide and advocate for safe practices in our theatre, film, and other creative spaces.
Samantha Jeffery (she | her | hers)
Born and raised in Amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton), Samantha Jeffery is an intimacy director/coordinator, actor, and award-nominated fight director. Sam is a trainee with IDC, has apprenticed with Intimacy Directors International, and is part of the Intimacy Canada startup committee. Her extensive training in mental and sexual health includes volunteering on the crisis line for the Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton, work on pieces about addiction and trauma, and mental health first aid. She has also curated and hosted sex-positive performance events such as the Smut Cabaret, and co-created award-winning films that have toured North America as part of the Hump Festival. Sam was the recipient of the 2019 Nordic & Cloutier Family Innovation Award in support of her advancement in the field of Intimacy Direction. She continues to work on stage and film productions across Western Canada. (IMDb)
Megan Gilron (she | hers | they | them)
Megan is a comprehensive sexual health and sexuality educator, an actors’ advocate and Intimacy Coordinator for film and television. She has an extensive background in theatre costume design, acting, and directing; film and TV costuming (IATSE 891 member); and youth facilitation (with Safeteen International). They have been a sex and relationship educator for 10+ years, with training under the infamous Betty Dodson and from several programs through Options for Sexual Health. Her work is diversely informed by training and experience in mental health first aid, conflict resolution, consent and boundaries negotiations, alternative sexual practices (including kink and BDSM) and facilitation of somatic bodywork. Their intimacy coordination training is informed by the 5 pillars and Intimacy Choreography modalities popularized by Intimacy Director’s International and IDC (Intimacy Directors and Coordinators), as well as training with Theatrical Intimacy Education.
She is currently part of the startup committee for The National Society of Intimacy Professionals, working to develop an accreditation program for intimacy professionals. She currently works on film and television productions in Western Canada (IMDb) and they are running workshops regarding representions of sex and sexuality for performance. Megan lives, loves, creates and resists within the ancestral, traditional and unceded territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-waututh) Nations (Vancouver, Canada).