What is an Intimacy Professional?
An intimacy professional supports the creation of intimate content in performance. This work may include, but is not limited to, kissing, simulated sex acts, nudity or hyper-exposure, sensual touch, romantic contact, and other moments of physical intimacy.
Intimacy Direction
Intimacy directors work in theatre and live performance, collaborating with directors and performers to create clear, repeatable, story-driven choreography while supporting performer agency, consent, and professional working practices.
Approach to Intimacy Direction
There is no single way to stage intimate content. Every production, story, and group of performers brings different needs, boundaries, and artistic goals.
My role is to facilitate a collaborative process that balances storytelling with performer well-being.
Boundaries and expectations are clearly established, performers are invited into the creative process, and intimate moments are choreographed with the same specificity and repeatability as any other stage movement.
The resulting choreography is designed to serve the story, support the performers involved, and remain consistent throughout the run of a production.
Context. Consent. Communication. Choreography. Closure.
Intimacy is always placed within a clear narrative and relational context
Consent is explicit, ongoing, and always revocable
Communication is direct, specific, and shared
Intimate contact is choreographed with clarity and precision
The work is closed with care, ensuring performers are supported beyond the scene
What I Expect in the Room
Openness: Approach the work with curiosity, presence, and a willingness to engage in the process.
Professional Context: The rehearsal room is a workplace. Physical contact exists within the context of the story and the work being created.
Communication: Boundaries, preferences, questions, and concerns are communicated clearly and treated with respect.
Agency: Each person maintains agency in their participation. Boundaries help shape the work.
Ongoing Consent: Consent is an ongoing part of the process. Check-ins, adjustments, and new information are welcome throughout rehearsals and performance.
Best Practices
All artists are entitled to a harassment-free, respectful working environment.
This includes:
clear communication and accountability
accessible processes for addressing concerns
shared responsibility across all members of the production
Harassment includes behaviour that is unwelcome, harmful, or creates unsafe working conditions.
Training & Professional Development
Intimacy Professional Summit (2026)
IDC Accelerator Program (40+ hours)
Intimacy Professional Summit (2025)
Foundations of Consent & Intimacy — Intimacy Directors and Coordinators
Applications of Consent & Intimacy — Intimacy Directors and Coordinators
Psychological First Aid: Caring for Others — Canadian Red Cross
Intimacy work is old, however, the field of intimacy direction and coordination is new. I have engaged with this work for over two decades as a choreographer and movement director, and I have the recent privilege of engaging with more formalized professional development.
I am in the practice of continued education and exchange
Select Intimacy Direction Credits
Man of the Year, Artistic Fraud (2026)
Popcorn Falls, Theatre CBS (2026)
There’s Nothing You Can Do, RCA Theatre Company (2025)
Paul and Linda Plan a Threesome, Endless Winter (2025)
Almost Maine, Mad as Hops Productions (2024)
Puppy Teeth (Workshop), Untellable Movement Theatre (2024)
Twelfth Night, Shakespeare by the Sea (2024)
A Winter’s Tale, Shakespeare by the Sea (2024)
Grace, Poverty Cove, Arts and Culture Centres of Newfoundland and Labrador (2024)
Rocky Horror Picture Show, TADA Events (2023)
Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare by the Sea (2023)
Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare by the Sea (2023)
High Steel, Perchance Theatre (2023)
Let’s Dance, Terra Bruce Productions (2023)
Hay Fever, Perchance Theatre (2022)
The Mirror, Persistence Theatre Company (2021)
11/11 (Workshop), David Ferry (2020)
No Change in the Weather, Terra Bruce Productions (2019)
Remnants, White Rooster (2019)
What People are Saying
“Lynn is a consummate professional. Her demeanour put the cast and creative team at ease and guided us through the process step by step - ensuring everyone in the space felt brave in their storytelling.”
-Keith Pike, Director, Let’s Dance, Terra Bruce Productions
"Lynn Panting's intimacy choreography is exceptional. Not only does she provide a safe and positive space for performers of any age, her movement and dance experience creates extraordinary intimacy work that radiates physical poetry. Her work with my production of Romeo & Juliet infused the two famous characters with life, love, and intoxication that left the audience feeling butterflies in their stomach. Lynn Panting's work is absolutely captivating and beyond compare."
-Andrew Tremblett, Director, Romeo & Juliet, Shakespeare by the Sea
“I had the pleasure of working with Lynn during the 2023 Perchance Theatre summer season. She is pedagogically well grounded and her concern for emotional safety is ever present.”
-Christa Borden, Mary Meg/Christine/Ella, High Steel, Perchance Theatre
“My first intimacy scenes as an actor were coordinated with extreme comfort and confidence as Lynn made sure my partner and I established trust and understanding, not just with each other, but with ourselves, our director, and herself as well. I felt very well cared for and appreciated the patience and collaboration process. Lynn's ability to help an actor connect movements with emotions in a vulnerable moment is an incredible resource for actors, and I hope to work with her in this capacity again to continue the learning process.”
-Sandra Mills, Beatrice, Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare by the Sea
