Choreographing Connection
Choreographing Connection is Lynn Panting’s professional practice blog, offering reflections on her artistic work and the arts sector at large. Through her lens as a director, choreographer, and intimacy professional, she shares think pieces, resources, strategies, and insights that speak to the evolving landscape of the performing arts.
Exit Strategies: How to Leave a Scene, a Process, or a Creative Partnership with Integrity
Exits are an inevitable part of creative work, but they don’t have to be messy. Whether leaving a scene, a rehearsal, or an entire project, having an intentional exit strategy protects both your well-being and your professional relationships.
Recognition, Reciprocity, and the Work of Arts Education
The health of our arts ecosystem depends on ongoing, intentional investment in teaching and mentorship. If we want a vibrant future for the arts, we must nourish the people doing this work today.
On Scarcity and the Arts
Scarcity tells us there isn’t enough to go around. It convinces us that someone else’s success means less for us. It tempts us to tighten our grip and protect what we’ve built, often at the expense of community.
The Myth of the Infinite Artist
We’ve absorbed the corporate work week and intensified because the art must be made and there’s never enough time, money, or stability to question the pace.
You’re Not the Underdog Anymore: Building Systems That Make Truth-to-Power Possible
You can hold power and still struggle. You can have authority and still feel uncertain. Power doesn’t erase effort or hardship; it shifts what responsibility looks like.
Choosing Your Way Forward After a Bad Experience
The way you process a bad experience can deeply impact how you carry yourself into your future work. Whatever choice you make, it’s important that you make it consciously.
Building a Responsive Ensemble
Introduction to Responsive Ensemble Framework was delivered in partnership with St. John’s Shorts and Untellable Movement Theatre, focusing on how ensemble building can be responsive, collaborative, and rooted in the strengths of the people in the room.
Saying Goodbye: Rituals and Reflections for the Post-Show Blues
We don’t always talk about or process endings in theatre. We rush head first into the next thing. But I think endings are important and how we say goodbye matters.
On Corporatization of the Arts
We risk narrowing the field to what is already familiar and profitable. That’s not a “new” business model. That’s capitalism.
What Is an Intimacy Director and What Should You Expect in the Rehearsal Room?
As someone who primarily works in theatre, I often get questions like:
"What exactly is an Intimacy Director?"
"Do I need one for my show?"
"What can actors and directors expect from that process?"
This blog is a guide to how Intimacy Direction works in live theatre, and what it can look like for actors, directors, stage managers, designers, and producers.
Intimacy Coordination for TV & Film: What to Expect
Although my intimacy practice is mostly grounded in live theatre, I do occasional work in film and television and I’m often asked: What exactly does an Intimacy Coordinator do on a film set?
This blog is a simple, straightforward guide to answer that question. Whether you’re a producer, director, actor, or just curious about best practices, here’s an overview of how intimacy coordination works on screen.
To Check-In or Not to Check-In?
Let’s talk about check-ins.
In modern rehearsal rooms, the “check-in” has become a common practice. At its best, a check-in helps build trust, transparency, and connection. But when misused, it can derail a rehearsal, consume valuable time, or place too much emotional labor on others.
Rehearsing with Care: Best Practices for Consent-Based Rehearsal Culture
Rehearsing with Care: Best Practices for Consent-Based Rehearsal Culture was originally presented as part of a professional development session with Shakespeare by the Sea in partnership with Untellable Movement Theatre.
Responsibility and Care in the Rehearsal Room
Theatre is built on collaboration, and collaboration runs on care. That care looks like consistency, communication, and preparation. It also looks like knowing the difference between what belongs in the room and what doesn’t.
Transparency Costs Comfort: Practicing Values When It's Hard
Transparency is just one value. But this is how I practice it. I don’t always get it right. But, I try to let my values guide my choices, even when my instinct wants to hide. It’s not comfortable. But it is honest.
Director’s Diary: Loves Labour’s Lost — Building the World with a Soundtrack
A good playlist becomes a unifying thread that ties the world together before we’ve even entered the room.
The Perils of Being “Good to Get Along With”
Let’s start building, activating, and actioning cultures where we are actively good to one another, and not passively “good to get along with”.
It’s You. You’re the Problem. It’s You: A Reflection on Power, Perception, and Accountability in the Arts
It’s a lot easier to spot harm when you’re on the receiving end of it. But what happens when the power begins to shift? When you're no longer the scrappy underdog, but the person others listen to?
Building the Movement Design for There’s Nothing You Can Do
One of the central questions we faced was: how can the actors “dance themselves to death” without actually harming themselves in the process?
The Rise of Movement Theatre: What It Means for Rehearsal Rooms
We are in a moment where audiences are increasingly hungry for the visceral, for the felt. Dance and movement theatre meet that moment beautifully, but only when the process honours what this form requires.