Say Yes (and No): Empowered Intimacy with Chels Morgan

This fall, RPAC invites students to take Center Stage in a new kind of performance workshop — one that focuses not just on what happens in a scene, but how we create it safely, collaboratively, and with full consent.

“Say Yes (and No): Intimacy in Motion with Chels Morgan” is a one-day workshop led by intimacy director and cultural competency educator Chels Morgan (they/them). Chels brings an extraordinary depth of experience as a movement artist, justice advocate, and consent-based educator working in professional theaters across the country. Their work empowers performers of all ages and identities to build safe, trauma-informed rehearsal practices without sacrificing bold, honest storytelling.

What’s This Workshop About?

Most students are taught how to deliver lines, hit their marks, and project to the back row — but very few are taught how to navigate emotional closeness, romantic moments, or even intense conflict with respect and clarity. That’s where this workshop comes in.

In a supportive, structured environment, students will:

• Learn the foundations of consent-based rehearsal techniques
• Practice embodied movement and boundary-setting through theater exercises
• Build tools to advocate for themselves in creative spaces
• Explore how culture, identity, and past experience shape how we interact onstage

Whether students are preparing for roles that involve vulnerability or simply want to understand how to be a stronger, more collaborative ensemble member, this workshop provides real, actionable skills they can carry into every rehearsal room.

Who Should Attend?

This workshop is designed for students 13-18, with a particular focus on performers interested in theater, musical theater, or dance. No prior experience with intimacy choreography is required — just a willingness to listen, learn, and move with care.

We believe every performer deserves to feel safe, supported, and empowered — and to help others feel the same. This isn’t just about acting; it’s about creating a rehearsal culture that lifts everyone up.

About Chels Morgan

Chels is a Black, Dominican and Queer writer, director, social justice theatermaker and educator with a passion for curating inclusive and accessible spaces in the arts. Currently, Chels works as an accomplished Intimacy & Fight Director, is an adjunct professor at The Theater School at DePaul University, and is the Director of Accessibility and Inclusion at the Intimacy Professionals Education Collective (IPEC). Selected credits include: How to Defend Yourself (Off-Broadway); Destiny of Desire (Old Globe Theatre); 42 Balloons, Billie Jean (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre); She Who Dared (Chicago Opera Theatre); Into the Woods (Kokandy Productions – Jeff Award), Seven Guitars (CityLit Theatre – Jeff Award); Honeypot: Black Southern Women Who Love Women (Northwestern University/ Fleetwood-Jourdain).
EDUCATION: MFA, Loyola Marymount University. BA, Emerson College.

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This is a workshop we’re proud to offer — and one we believe every young artist should experience. Because taking Center Stage means showing up fully — and doing the work that makes great performance possible.