Love, power, agony and death – throughout its history opera has been cherished for its displays of unbridled passion. But for those enacting scenes of murder, sex and sometimes even rape, words like consent and agency have rarely come up.
Now, in what’s thought to be a British first, the Royal Opera House (ROH) is consulting with Ita O’Brien – an intimacy coordinator who ensures actors feel comfortable during such scenes – for Katie Mitchell’s new production of Theodora, opening on Monday.
George Frideric Handel’s oratorio – about a Christian martyr who is forced into prostitution, threatened with rape and executed by Roman authorities – first premiered at the Covent Garden venue 250 years ago. For Julia Bullock, a soprano who plays the titular role, it’s a symbolic and vital moment.
“I’ve been in so many rehearsal spaces where usually it’s the performers who are making complaints about scenes, but to have that preemptively addressed was such a relief,” she said.
“In opera, there’s so much attention given to the craftsmanship of the music, the set design, the direction of the singing and choreography, in order to allow human moments to become amplified on stage. But that also means we need to take care of the human beings who are embodying those moments.”
Bullock said she’s had a number of challenging experiences in the past, when she was put at unnecessary physical and psychological risk during intimate scenes.
“One of the first things Ita talked about was how only those directly involved in an intimate scene should be in the room for its staging. But I remember during my first ever intimate performance, my partner and I were being witnessed by 50 people, and the conductor was asking, ‘Shouldn’t Julia be simulating more noises on stage?’”
And where traditionally, she’s been left alone with a partner to explore how to stage a scene, now those conversations take place before anyone takes to the stage.
“You explore whether a man can touch your breasts, whether it’s comfortable. You go step by step over parts of the body that may be exposed or are going to be subjected to intimate touch, allowing your body to register if there’s anything that is hypersensitive, or if there’s a place where you might potentially be triggered.”
Since the revelations against Harvey Weinstein, intimacy coordinators have become more commonplace on sets. But while scenes on TV and film can often be completed in a couple of takes, a live show is repeatedly played out in front of thousands of people each evening.
O’Brien, who has worked on hit TV shows including I May Destroy You, Normal People and It’s A Sin, as well as on recent plays such as Spring Awakening at the Almeida and Manor at the National Theatre, said the scale was wholly different.
“There’s consent each and every day. You might agree one day that you’re very happy to kiss lip to lip, and then you develop a cold sore, so it’s not suitable any more. So you explore what the moment is about, different ways to tell the same story,” she said.
“There’s been concern that if you bring in guidelines, you dumb down creativity, but actually it’s the opposite because you invite that open conversation.”
But even for O’Brien, who has trained as a ballet dancer and worked as an actor herself, opera has been a learning curve. “For example, you have to make sure the positions you put performers in doesn’t interrupt their beautiful sound.”
“Opera,” she added, was “the most heightened art form, and because it was mostly written from history and mostly by men, power plays are a big part of the narrative. So to help bring female empowerment to Theodora has been really rewarding.”
Oliver Mears, Director of Opera at ROH said the company was “committed” to making intimacy direction an integral part of future productions.
“When staging new commissions and reimagining repertory operas, it is critical that artists, creatives and ROH staff feel safe and supported,” he said.
“Many of the most celebrated operas explore themes of exploitation, sexual violence, and abuse of power, and it is vital to us that we approach these topics sensitively and with care in the rehearsal room, ensuring our artists can perform at their best.”