Guidelines on consent in staging difficult and/or sensitive content:

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The Department of Theatre takes consent seriously, especially when it comes to asking anyone – especially a student – to participate in staging potentially difficult and/or sensitive content, which we define as intimacy, nudity, violence, degradation and/or language/symbols that could reasonably be considered hateful (e.g. because it’s misogynistic, homophobic, racist or otherwise discriminatory).

Examples of potentially difficult and/or sensitive content onstage include (but are not limited to): kissing, embracing, caressing, simulated sex acts, rape, partial or full nudity, shoving, punching, kicking, fighting with weapons, grabbing forcefully, being spat on, mutilation, humiliation, slurs, and symbols or imagery associated with hate groups (e.g. swastikas).

When a project or piece contains potentially difficult and/or sensitive content, a conversation between each Project Leader/Director and the Theatre Department’s Public Performance Committee will take place (prior to the project’s start date when possible) to discuss the content of the piece. The Project Leader/Director should be prepared to explain why any potentially difficult and/or sensitive content should be included in a student production, with particular attention on the artistic, social, and pedagogical value of staging this content here and now.

In advance of this conversation, the Project Leader/Director should make a proposal in writing explicitly identifying any potentially difficult and/or sensitive content, their rationale for the use of this content, and how they envision staging it. If potentially difficult and/or sensitive content is specified in a script, the Project Leader/Director must state whether or not they intend to stage the content as written. If the Project Leader/Director wishes to add potentially difficult and/or sensitive content that is not called for in a written script, they must advise the PPP committee. The proposal should specify:

the details of the intimacy, nudity, violence, degradation, or hate speech/symbols
the duration of onstage exposure, per exposure, from a minimum to a maximum length of time
the roles and genders of those who will be directly involved in performing the action(s), saying the words, or handling the symbols
any physical contact between nude performers and others, whether they are nude or clothed
any scenes in which more than one type of potentially difficult and/or sensitive content might happen at once

If potentially difficult and/or sensitive content is specified in a script, the Project Leader/Director must state whether or not they intend to stage the content as written. If the Project Leader/Director wishes to add potentially difficult and/or sensitive content that is not called for in a written script (i.e. unwritten, additional staging of a scripted play or in a devised process), they must advise the PPP committee.

If the Public Performance Committee agrees that the difficult and/or sensitive content is warranted, a nuanced conversation will then take place about achieving consent in rehearsal. If this conversation can happen only after classes have begun, time will be set out in the first two weeks of rehearsals to approach the staging requests and the practice by which the instructor will seek consent.

For our Department’s purposes: Consent must be granted by all performer(s) directly involved in the staging of any difficult and/or sensitive action, and by any students and staff (e.g. designers, assistant directors, or shop staff) who are asked to work directly with the difficult and/or sensitive content (e.g. assistant directors being asked to oversee rehearsals of scenes containing hate speech; designers or staff being asked to produce props, costumes or set pieces containing hate symbols, violent imagery, or sexually suggestive objects). Consent can only be freely given if the performers and/or other implicated individuals have full knowledge of the action(s) and/or imagery required beforehand. Any form of coercion negates consent. For the sake of clarity: coercion includes, but is not limited to, the requirement to be involved in the staging of the piece in order to obtain a grade or a higher grade. An in-depth discussion on consent must begin on the first day of rehearsal, when possible, led either by the Project Leader/Director, if qualified, or a Deptartment representative, in dialogue with the whole ensemble. This includes Performers, Understudies, Stage Management Team, Creative Team, Technical Team, etc. This conversation, if not possible on the first day of rehearsal, must be prioritized at the earliest opportunity with the full company, and in all cases should take place prior to staging or otherwise working with the difficult and/or sensitive action.

Consent may not be assumed. Consent should be acquired at all stages in the process. The dialogue of consent must continue throughout the rehearsal process. Even if intimate moments or actions were agreed upon during earlier stages of the process, they must be verified during later rehearsals and the run of the show. If, for whatever reason, the individual feels unsafe emotionally and/or physically in performing and engaging in difficult content, they have the right to retract their consent at any point (including during performances) without penalty, including penalty to their grade.  Once consent is initially given, a Difficult and/or Sensitive Content Contract is required. The practice of this contract can be ensured by the instructor of the project, the SM Team, the assistant director, an appointed fight captain, an intimacy coach (if one is available), or a designated student rep on the project. An example contract will be provided.