Intro to Intimacy for Stage & Screen

with Reload Guest Coach – Michelle Miall

Intimacy has forever been found in the works of stage and screen.
In current times however, we are acknowledging the importance of the growing movement
towards educating artists and arts leaders of the parameters involved in working with
intimacy/intimate content, and doing so in a clear, safe and respectful manner.

That is why this workshop is such a critical one for artists of all types, experience levels and
creative genres.

The Intro to Intimacy for Stage & Screen workshop will include specifics such as:
- The key principles around working with intimacy and the Intimacy Guidelines
- How they pertain to the actor, direct and producer roles and what you need to know
when working with intimate content
- Working with an intimacy coordinator/director
- Working with intimacy in a professional and safe manner
- Consent and agreement of touch
- Ways actors can safely and effectively approach intimate physicality and de-roleing
- Tips and advice to empower you in approaching and working with intimate content

As this is a workshop built for actors, practitioners, practicing teachers and leaders in the
artistic community, the RELOAD team highly encourages all creatives to join us in this
undeniably important workshop.

Age limit 18+

Michelle Miall

An award-winning Director, Producer, Playwright, Dramaturg and Teaching Artist, Michelle graduated from QUT with a BA Honours (Drama). Currently training and working as an Intimacy Coordinator & Director under mentors Michala Banas and Ita O’Brien (Intimacy on Set), Michelle is a former Associate Artist with the Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble and Creative Resident with Queensland Theatre Company. Currently a lecturer in Acting at Australian Performing Arts Conservatory, Michelle has worked as a guest Director and Teaching Artist for Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University (Musical Theatre, Acting, Classical Music), Queensland Theatre, Queensland University of Technology, Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts, Backbone Youth Arts, Brisbane Arts Theatre, and various Brisbane secondary schools.

Michelle has worked as an Intimacy Director for theatre productions Fourthcoming (Shake + Stir/QPAC), Horizon (Playlab), Grease (QPAC/QCGU), Against the Wall (Passion Productions/Anywhere Festival), Spike Heels, Zigzag St (AdAstra) and Genesis (A Very Theatre Company); as Intimacy Coordinator for television on Troppo (ABC), Darby & Joan (Acorn TV), All My Friends Are Racist (Maximo/Hoodlum for ABC iview), and feature films The Possessed, Great White. 

As Director, Michelle’s credits include Wisdom (The Scene Project, Queensland Theatre), The Removalists (Queensland Theatre Company), Colder (La Boite Indie), The Pillowman (23 rd Productions & Metro Arts), The Winter’s Tale (Qld Shakespeare Ensemble), Real Women (QPAC Cabaret Festival), Where the Breath Is Kept & Going for Gold (Asylum-Apocalypse Theatre Co.), Shrinks (Purple Pear), Allsorts, Our Turn, Oklahoma!, Miss Saigon (Queensland Conservatorium of Music), Skeeter’s School for Successful Superheroes (USQ/Toowoomba Children’s Festival), Lifetime (Short + Sweet Festival), The Flu Season and No Exit (Vena Cava Productions), Faith (Qld Poetry Festival), Holy Guacamole! (Backbone Youth Arts), Valerie & Munro (deBASE productions), The Laramie Project, An Ordinary Day and STATIC (QUT). 

At the 2009 Matilda Awards for Queensland Theatre, Michelle was awarded Best Director and Best Emerging Artist for The Pillowman, and was honoured with one of 5 Gold Matilda Awards for her Contribution to Directing & Producing Outstanding Independent Theatre. The Pillowman also won Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor. For her production Lifetime, as part of Short + Sweet Festival Brisbane, Michelle was awarded Best Director for the festival. 

In 2011 Michelle was awarded the Brisbane Lord Mayor’s Fellowship for Young & Emerging Artists, to undertake an itinerary of artistic and professional development opportunities in Austria, The Netherlands, London and New York. During this time, she trained in Viewpoints and Suzuki with Anne Bogart’s SITI Company, and in Biomechanics with Russian Director, Sergei Ostrenko. Also in 2011, Michelle was one of 49 young artists chosen from across Australia to participate in JUMP, the Australia Council’s mentoring program. As part of this program Michelle worked with mentor Wesley Enoch to develop a new draft of Locard’s Principle, a stage adaptation of verse novel Faith by Brisbane poet Alicia Bennett. In development of this project, Michelle undertook a creative residency with the Queensland Theatre Company through 2011/2012, funded by the Australia Council’s programs in support of young and emerging artists.

Writing credits include Locard’s Principle (JUMP/QTC Residency/The Greenhouse), Donna’s Party (Writers’ Foundry), Warning: Small Parts (Out of the Box Festival), STATIC (Best Play BUGfest 2001). Michelle has also worked as Assistant Director to David Berthold (La Boite), Kate Cherry (QTC), Michael Futcher (QTC, La Boite/Matrix) and Sean Mee (QUT), and as a Producer for The Real Histories Project and Michelle Miall/La Boite Indie.