Ita O'Brien: Intimacy

Ita O’Brien is one of the most sought-after intimacy coordinators for stage, film and television with credits including ‘Sex Education’, ‘I May Destroy You’ and ‘Normal People’. In the course of her work, she created trail-blazing intimacy on-set guidelines that are now used around the world. 

In her first book – appropriately called “Intimacy: A Field Guide to Finding Connection and Feeling Your Deep Desires” – Ita, who worked as a dancer, actor and movement teacher for many years, draws on her 40-year career to provide sage and sensitive advice on transforming intimacy in our off-screen lives. 

We’re delighted to welcome Ita to Stroud Book Festival to discuss how she seeks to recast how we think of intimacy in a broad sense; starting by forging deeper and healthier connections with our own bodies, before creating safe spaces where we can navigate intimacy, not only in our closest relationships, but also more widely in society.