“I Don’t Have Any Boundaries,” Brags Intimacy Workshop Participant No One Wants to Partner With
- Broadway Beat
- Nov 26, 2024
- 2 min read
by Madeline Geier. Bluesky: @MadelinesOpinions.bsky.social IG: @MadelineRuthmary
SEATTLE, WA — While many participants have lauded last weekend’s “Intro to Boundaries” workshop, Gregory award-winning actor Jake Harris felt it lacked the industry’s usual open-mindedness.
“I don’t have any boundaries,” bragged Harris, winking at a passing college student. “Of course I expected consent stuff—I’m no creep—but my unconditional consent resulted in what I’d almost call 'discrimination' when we’d partner up. Saying yes to everything and improving all the possibilities is how I work. I do my best work when I can discover something new by taking a huge risk and completely surprising my scene partner. What’s so wrong about that?”
Beth Brooking, the intimacy director who facilitated the workshop, shared that the workshop’s mission was to provide the tools for navigating boundaries and building consent culture while staging scenes, with an opportunity to practice those skills.
“Previously, I’d’ve said every actor has boundaries,” disclosed Brooking while adjusting her “Got Consent?” pin. “No one should need to sacrifice bodily autonomy to act. Honoring boundaries leads to a more trusting, efficient process resulting in great staging, but actors are taught saying no makes them 'difficult to work with.' Usually, just one outlandish suggestion causes 'no boundaries' folks to realize they do have some boundaries."
"Jake saw this as a challenge and said he’d not only be okay with his eyeballs being touched, but to 'serve the play' he’d welcome scene partners pouring Tabasco in them as well.”
Kathleen Navarro, a copywriter exploring acting, partnered with Harris to practice navigating boundaries while devising a moment within a close relationship.
“He’s well-known, so I considered it a networking opportunity,” reasoned Navarro, stapling headshots to her three-credit resume. “He reminded me of my first community theatre director. Peer feedback described our hug as 'wide-ranging,' which I guess reflects the spontaneous additions.”
Harris viewed the feedback as appreciation for “the breadth of tactics” he utilized. He unfortunately couldn’t answer a follow-up because he had a casting/HR meeting he said was likely about adding to his contracts for The Rep’s 2025-26 Season.
Interesting take on boundaries! It’s wild to see someone brag about having none. While the workshop champions consent, this actor twists it into a PR stunt. Good to remember that true respect creates better art. Thanks for the reminder, Imagen a Texto.
Interesting take on boundaries. While the workshop highlights consent, that intensity can be off-putting for partners seeking balance. It reminds me of how Sprite Generator AI balances creative freedom with technical constraints to produce perfectly usable assets, not extremes.
Poor Kathleen Navarro, trying to network and ending up with a 'wide-ranging' hug! It's wild how actors are still taught that setting boundaries makes them 'difficult to work with,' just as Beth Brooking says. If I had to deal with someone like Jake Harris, I'd definitely need a moment to clear my head with something calming like MeowdoKu – at least that has clear rules and isn't about someone pouring Tabasco in eyeballs!
Reading about Jake Harris bragging about 'unconditional consent' and wanting Tabasco in his eyes is just... a lot. It really highlights the difference between actual risk-taking and just being difficult. If he wants to discover something new by taking a huge risk without involving other people's bodily autonomy, maybe he should try playing StonkRider instead. It's a much safer way to 'improve all the possibilities'!
This whole article cracked me up, especially the title: 'I Don’t Have Any Boundaries,' Brags Intimacy Workshop Participant No One Wants to Partner With. I can vividly imagine the awkwardness of that workshop! If I wanted to picture Jake Harris's 'surprise' scene tactics or that 'wide-ranging' hug Kathleen mentioned, I'd probably use a Free AI text to Image Generator to really capture the chaos.