{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2022}} {{short description|American intimacy coordinator}} '''Alicia Rodis''' is an American intimacy coordinator, director and actress.
==Career== Rodis grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and acted in regional and classical theatre.<ref name=nysx>{{cite web|url=https://www.shakespeareexchange.org/content/meet-team-alicia-rodis-intimacyfight-director|title=Meet The Team – Alicia Rodis – Intimacy and Fight Director|work=New York Shakespeare Exchange|date=September 8, 2018|accessdate=October 19, 2018}}{{Dead link|date=June 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Growing up, Alicia was often cast in more adult roles. At age 15 she had an on-stage kiss, and at age 18 faked an orgasm. She had mixed experiences of adult scenes, with some causing mental distress later.<ref name=huff/>
She moved to New York City in 2008, and became involved with the New York Shakespeare Exchange, becoming the fight director for several productions, and directing a Shakespeare-themed pub crawl in the city.<ref name=nysx/> She also worked with the Yale School of Drama and the Juilliard School.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.safd.org/MemberProfile/Details/32624|title=Alicia Rodis|publisher=Society of American Fight Directors|accessdate=October 19, 2018}}</ref> She worked as intimacy coordinator on Season 2 of HBO's ''The Deuce'' and was the first such hire by a mainstream television network; demand for intimacy coordinators, who are tasked to ensure the well-being of actors performing in sex scenes or other intimate sequences, rose following the emergence of the Me Too movement in 2017.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/24/business/intimacy-director-hbo-the-deuce.html|title=How Do You Play a Porn Star in the #MeToo Era? With Help from an 'Intimacy Director'|work=New York Times|date=August 24, 2018|accessdate=October 19, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/the-deuces-emily-meade-is-helping-actors-feel-comfortable-on-set/|title='The Deuce' Star Emily Meade Is Helping Actors Feel More Comfortable On Set|magazine=US Magazine|date=September 24, 2018|accessdate=October 19, 2018}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news|last=Perasso|first=Valeria|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-51745702|title=The women helping Hollywood shoot safer sex scenes|date=March 7, 2020|work=BBC News|access-date=March 9, 2020|language=en-GB}}</ref> She was recommended for the role based on her reputation, and her help was described as "a successful, positive, experience".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.eonline.com/news/970626/the-deuce-s-emily-meade-shares-the-value-of-intimacy-coordinators-on-set|title=The Deuce's Emily Meade Shares the Value of Intimacy Coordinators|work=E! Online|date=September 21, 2018|accessdate=October 19, 2018}}</ref>
==Intimacy Directors International== Rodis is a founding member of Intimacy Directors International, an organization working towards developing standards of safety and performance for intimacy in film and on stage.<ref name=":0" /> Along with her co-founders, Tonia Sina and Siobhan Richardson, she has witnessed inappropriate behavior on set or mishandling during scenes involving close intimacy.<ref name=huff>{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/intimacy-directors-choreograph-sex-scenes_us_5b0d87dae4b0fdb2aa574564|title=Meet The 'Intimacy Directors' Who Choreograph Sex Scenes|first=Amanda|last=Duberman|date=May 30, 2018|publisher=Huffington Post}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2018/04/13/theaters-intimacy-directors|title=Theaters Turn To 'Intimacy Directors' To Guide And Protect Actors On Set|website=www.wbur.org|date=April 13, 2018 }}</ref> Her role is to watch the scenes closely, making notes, and making sure actors are comfortable with the work required, and that nobody is physically or mentally harmed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wfpl.org/local-theaters-intimacy-directors-help-foster-safer-workspaces/|title=For Local Theaters, 'Intimacy Directors' Could Help Foster Safer Workplaces|work=89.3 WFPL|date=February 23, 2018|accessdate=October 19, 2018}}</ref> Rodis has said that there is an increased demand for this type of work.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/theatre-intimacy-actor-training-1.4479406|title=Theatre world calling in intimacy coaches to guide actors through sex ...|work=CBC|date=January 9, 2018|accessdate=October 19, 2018}}</ref> In early 2020, the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) published a policy mandating the inclusion of intimacy coordinators.<ref name=":0" />
In 2018, the group performed an exhibition, #MeToo Shakespeare, explaining the importance of intimacy choreography.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwfood-wine/article/SHAKESBEER-by-New-York-Shakespeare-Exchange-this-Fall-on-Saturdays-915-922-and-929-at-300-pm-20180909|title=SHAKESBEER by New York Shakespeare Exchange this Fall on Saturdays|journal=Broadway World|date=September 9, 2018|accessdate=October 19, 2018}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist|30em}}
==External links== * [https://www.instagram.com/alicia_rodis/ Instagram page of Rodis] * [https://www.facebook.com/aliciarodisintimacy/ Facebook page of Rodis]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodis, Alicia}} Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Actresses from Cleveland Category:American theatre directors Category:American women theatre directors Category:21st-century American actresses Category:Living people Category:Intimacy coordinators