Naked theatre: impact versus exploitation

What are the ethics of simulated sex in the theatre, and how can directors ensure actors feel comfortable and secure when nudity is required?
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Sex and nudity have a long and sometimes contentious history on the stage. In Britain, cuts were often demanded of plays by the Lord Chamberlin’s office, whose red pen was wielded with impunity, striking out sexual references from 1737 until 1968, at which time changing social mores saw his office looking increasingly out of date. Reputedly, the day after the Lord Chamberlain’s powers of censorship ceased, the musical Hair opened in the West End, ushering in a period in which stage nudity was very much in vogue.

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Richard Watts is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM, and serves as the Chair of La Mama Theatre's volunteer Committee of Management. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, and was awarded the status of Melbourne Fringe Living Legend in 2017. In 2020 he was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize. Most recently, Richard was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Green Room Awards Association in June 2021. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts