'Intimacy coordinator' who worked on Normal People helps launch master's degree in the subject

A master’s degree that will teach students how to become experts on directing sex scenes has been launched with the help of the ‘Intimacy coordinator’ who made her name working on BBC’s Normal People.

The two-year course will provide a detailed knowledge of how to make actors comfortable and ensure that all genitals are covered appropriately during intimate shoots.

Ita O’Brien made her name as intimacy coordinator for Normal People and is now helping launch the new masters degree – that will charge over £15,000 for its first year.

She told The Times that there is ‘so much’ to teach on the topic and that she is asked by two people a day about getting into the industry.

Applications for the Masters of Fine Arts degree at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in Peckham, accredited by the University of East Anglia, open tomorrow.

Students will learn about power dynamics between performers and producers, consent and boundaries and the best way to use ‘modesty garments’ to cover an actor’s intimate area.

Speaking to The Times, O’Brien said: ‘It’s a really complex role and it’s really important that there is a pathway that can be trusted in the industry.

‘I want the role of intimacy coordinator and implementation of intimacy guidelines [to be] mandatory.’

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