Actors' Real-Life Love and Stage Kisses Collide

The play 'Stage Kiss' at London's Hampstead Theatre examines the blurred lines between professional acting and personal relationships, as two actors with a shared romantic past are cast in a play mirroring their history. "He" and "She," the characters, find it increasingly difficult to separate their on-stage romance from their real lives.

Actors MyAnna Buring and Patrick Kennedy, who star in the production, shared that such messy romantic entanglements can indeed occur in the acting profession. Kennedy noted the script's precision in capturing the actor's experience, including its absurdities and heartbreaks. Buring added that unresolved feelings from past relationships can resurface, leading to complex emotional situations.

While actors often engage in kissing scenes without specific training, the industry has seen significant changes. The advent of intimacy coordinators, becoming a staple in film, TV, and theatre over the past decade, has greatly improved safety and consent. Although the characters in 'Stage Kiss' (written in 2011) did not have this support, Buring highlighted that the current availability of such professionals is a major step forward, providing essential language and options for actors, especially younger ones.

Buring and Kennedy received assistance from an intimacy coordinator for their roles in 'Stage Kiss,' approaching the physical aspects of the performance pragmatically. They compared the choreography of intimate scenes to stage fighting, emphasizing clear communication and rehearsal. Despite the professional management of these scenes, the risk of germ transmission remains a lighthearted concern among the cast during allergy season.