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The panel is facilitated by Brooke M. Haney and features queer leaders in the fields of intimacy direction and coordination, gender and cultural consulting, mental health, and disability advocacy, and more. Panelists include Raja Benz, Bridget McCarthy, Catherine Miller, and Chels Morgan.
Ring of Keys is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that promotes community and visibility among queer women, trans, and non-binary artists in musical theatre. Learn more about Ring of Keys and their service to and advocacy for the artistic community here.
Moderator
Brooke M. Haney (they/she) is an NYC based intimacy coordinator and was one of the first fifty intimacy coordinators recognized as qualified by SAG/AFTRA. They wrote their first book, The Intimacy Coordinator's Guidebook: Specialties for Stage and Screen, along with thirty contributing authors.
Panelists
Raja Benz (she/her) is a distinguished theatremaker, cultural consultant, and intimacy professional recently relocated to the Metro-Detroit area. A proud Filipina-American Trans woman, Raja has established herself as a transformative voice in theatre through her advocacy and pedagogy which centers on highlighting the rich histories of queer of color praxis as the foundation for inclusive, authentic, consent-based approaches to intimacy for stage and screen. Raja is a highly-sought after educator, and has had the honor of presenting her work through colleges, universities, conferences, and independent intimacy programs across the world including The International Conference on Intimacy Coordination, The Educator Advocacy Program, Intimacy Coordinators of Color, Randolph College, Oberlin College, Penn State, Villanova University, The University of South Carolina Upstate, and at University of California system at large through the Summer in the Arts program housed at Fresno State University. Raja’s work is proudly now housed across four departments at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre, and Dance where she serves as the resident intimacy choreographer and cultural consultant. Read more about Raja at her website.
Bridget McCarthy (she/they/ella/elle) is a multi-hyphenate theatre professional and currently serves as the education & engagement director at Stage Door Theatre. As an actor, she has worked extensively on stages around her chosen home of Atlanta, GA including the Atlanta Shakespeare Company, Synchronicity Theatre, and Stage Door. As an applied theatremaker, she has worked with the Georgia Department of Corrections (and many other carceral institutions around the country), Recovery Rising, and Refugee Voice. In 2021, Bridget co-founded the Association of Mental Health Coordinators with trauma therapist Amanda Edwards, pioneering a role supporting responsible portrayal of mental health in the performing arts. They've collaborated with Disney, Hulu, Netflix, Warner Brothers, and Discovery, among others. Bridget holds a Bachelors in Theatre a Masters of Science in Clinical Counseling, and is pursuing a Doctor of Behavioral Health. Certified as a trauma and resilience trainer and mental health first aid instructor, Bridget was recognized by Young Nonprofit Professionals of Atlanta in 2020 and named one of American Theatre Magazine’s "Theatre Workers to Watch" in 2024. Outside work, Bridget enjoys hiking, stand-up comedy, powerlifting, and tending to her rescue pittie, Oberon. Connect on their website or on Instagram.
Catherine Miller (they/them) is a Chicago based multi-hyphenate artist, primarily working as a casting director, dramaturg, and gender consultant. Catherine believes that transparency, ownership of intention and impact, and radical hospitality can inform and empower all artists and their autonomy. Recently, they have been working with About Face Theatre, Chicago's premiere LGBTQIA+ theatre company, casting Lavender Men, The Brightest Thing in the World, Mosque4Mosque, and Gender Play, in addition to casting and artistic producing the most recent Re/Generation Studio, a new work development lab and learning playground for queer artists of all ages. Catherine has done dramaturgy and gender consulting work for Paramount Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, and About Face Theatre, and has been a guest speaker/teacher at Vagabond School, The Theatre School at DePaul, Columbia College Chicago, North Central College, Roosevelt University, Steppenwolf, Director’s Lab Chicago, The Forge, Oklahoma City University, League of Chicago Theatres, and Beloit University. They have cast productions for Raven Theatre, Chicago Children's Theatre, Theatre Wit, American Musical Theatre Project, and First Floor Theatre, among many others. Catherine was a 2021 3Arts Make A Wave recipient and has a BFA in Dramaturgy/Criticism from The Theatre School at DePaul, with a minor in Women & Gender Studies.
Chels Morgan (they/them) is a Black, Dominican, AuDHD, and Queer intimacy director & coordinator, AASECT Certified sexuality and social justice educator, cultural competency specialist, and creative director. Their work has been featured at the New York Theatre Workshop (Off-Broadway), the Old Globe Theatre (LORT - SD), the University of Michigan - School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, as well as at OUTFEST LA and on the AllBlk Streaming Platform (an AMC Network). Their writings on Intimacy and Cultural Competency on screen and stage can be read in the Journal of Consent Based Performance (JCBP) as well as in the new Intimacy Coordinator's Guidebook. Chels' career focus is to spread narratives of radical humanity and radical self compassion, and to curate justice-centered production processes on screen and on stage.
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