Supporting artists

The world’s first degree in Intimacy Practice will launch in September.

Intimacy on Set and Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts have partnered with the University of East Anglia to offer the two-year course, led by intimacy practitioner Ita O’Brien.

The degree will prepare students to enter the industry as intimacy coordinators for film and visual media, including theatre and live performance.

O’Brien pioneered the role of intimacy practitioner and has worked with production companies and organisations including the BBC, Netflix, Amazon, Apple TV, Channel 4, HBO, Sky, ITV, the National Theatre and The Royal Opera House.

Her company, Intimacy on Set, is launching the new course in response to the growing industry demand for intimacy practitioners.

“I am delighted that we are today launching the world’s first training in Intimacy Practice at MFA level, and specifically with Mountview where I taught movement some years ago,” O’Brien said.

“Intimacy Practice is a young profession, and whilst awareness of its existence has grown considerably in the last few years, deep understanding of good practice is missing.”

To further develop the profession, “we need to be able to train talented individuals who can navigate the both physical and emotional journey that each actor will go on, and can responsibly and safely deliver the intimate content as envisioned by the director, the storytelling and each character,” she said.

She added that the goal of Intimacy on Set is to eventually ensure that bespoke guidelines are adopted by the industry worldwide.

“Our course will grow an expert network of practitioners, ensuring the provision of safe rehearsal and performance practices and encouraging further research in this area,” said Sally Ann Gritton, Principal of Mountview.

UK Music is urging Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to outline new support for the music sector as part of next week’s Budget.

The body has sent a letter to Hunt calling for the government to adopt an eight-point plan that aims to boost jobs and growth in the industry.

The plan includes calls for more support to venues, studios and music spaces hit by soaring energy bills, VAT on live events to be cut and business rates on live music venues and studios to be reduced.

It also calls for an extension to the 50% uplift of the Orchestra Tax Relief and a transitional support package to assist with the costs of touring in Europe post-Brexit.

UK Music Chief Executive Jamie Njoku-Goodwin says the without the right measures, there will be a real threat to the talent pipeline.

“The eight-point plan that UK Music and our members have drawn up spells out the huge opportunity the Chancellor has to help us drive jobs and growth and continue the success story of UK music,” he added.

The Chancellor's Budget will be announced on 15 March.

National Youth Theatre has announced IGNITE Your Creativity, a partnership with Netflix that aims to introduce young people to backstage and technical careers in film, TV and theatre.

The programme is designed to offer opportunities to more than 500 young people aged 14 to 25 in South Wales, West Yorkshire and the North East of England in its first year.

“Theatre is one of the great pipelines to TV and film but sadly the pipeline of opportunity for so many young people has been broken for so long,” said Paul Roseby, Chief Executive and Artistic Director of National Youth Theatre.

“Certain parts of the creative industries are growing, but ironically so is the skills gap in production talent. This partnership will help redress the imbalance”.  

The programme is currently recruiting young people in Newport, South Wales, where participants will work with Urban Myth Films and their Newport-based film studios, the Sherman Theatre, National Youth Arts Wales and local community organisations and schools. 

The programme will expand to West Yorkshire and the North East of England later this year, delivering 20 free community and school workshops in each area. It will also offer set and theatre visits and free week-long courses led by industry professionals.

“Our industry has a pronounced absence of socio-economic diversity partly because it’s freelance, which makes it tough for those from less privileged backgrounds to gain a foothold,” said Anne Mensah, Vice President of UK Content at Netflix.

“IGNITE Your Creativity has been designed to raise awareness and aspirations, and build confidence and networks so that young people don’t need to have existing industry connections, live in a big city or have a degree for a career in TV and film.”

The BBC has confirmed it will cut back its BBC Introducing programme, which profiles up-and-coming grassroots musicians.

The plans will see the loss of 12 BBC Introducing shows, with 20 of the BBC’s 39 local radio stations retaining their own editions.

In January, a coalition of music groups wrote to the BBC expressing “grave concern” the plans to streamline BBC Introducing shows would have an adverse effect on grassroots music in the UK.

In a statement released earlier this week, the broadcaster said the remaining BBC Introducing shows will be broadcast twice as often, to “give up-and-coming musicians a bigger platform and audiences than ever before”.

Each station will also “retain music expertise on site to support the production of the programmes and bring in new talent”, the statement adds.

The Guardian reports the cuts form a wider plan for the BBC’s regional stations to share more shows, in order to modernise local services and save money.

A new organisation being formed to prevent and tackle bullying and harassment across the creative industries has received support from the Society of London Theatre (SOLT) and UK Theatre.

The Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA) will work to uphold and improve standards of behaviour across the creative industries by providing services, insight, research, policy, influence and advocacy.

CIISA’s work providing services is expected to include mediation, investigation, early dispute resolution and immediate advice, while its work on influence and advocacy is likely to include lobbying for a legal definition of bullying, preventing misuse of NDAs, advocating for better advice and protections for freelancers, and promoting inclusivity.

SOLT and UK Theatres backing for CIISA follows support from the film and TV sectors, with music expected to follow suit in the coming months.

Co-Chief Executives of the two theatre trade associations, Claire Walker and Hannah Essex, said the “theatre sector welcomes this opportunity to show its commitment to tackling bullying and harassment once and for all. 

“We look forward to working with our members to support the development of this much-needed organisation in the coming months.”

CIISA Interim Chief Executive Jennifer Smith added: “The purpose of CIISA is prevention from harm and to ensure there are consistently safe workplaces for our talented workforce to thrive in. 

“We are delighted to be working very closely with the theatre sector’s leading performing arts trade bodies alongside the film and TV industries and thank them for their commitment and support for CIISA as we continue to develop our proposals over the coming months.”