←Recommendations of A Carefully Planned Spontaneity

Sweet and fun. I was fortunate to see a live performance of this play and was struck by the layered physicality of two awkward, mature men rehearsing a love scene, how the painstaking direction of their pretended passion was necessary but excruciating but funny but also not funny at all -- all at the same time. The final moments are satisfying and earned, and the whole experience was a crowd pleaser. Deserving of many productions.

If there is a lesson to be learned from these moments with Charlie and Wallace, it is that Scott Sickles is the master par excellence of subtext and subliminal layering. These two actors rehearsing their love scene for a film have done everything they can to convince each other and themselves that this is just acting; they're playing parts and following the instructions of the intimacy director. But the heart wants what the heart wants, and the, uh, hard truth is just beneath the surface.

A fascinating look at preparation for a sex scene in a film. Mature actors Charlie and Wallace rehearse a love scene at Charlie’s digs and utilize their own self-help version of intimacy direction. With A CAREFULLY PLANNED SPONTANEITY, Scott Sickles manages to construct a perfect scene - erotic while it educates. I love the twin-speak directions they give one another, like learning a complex dance step. And then there’s the stage directions for the real thing! There may have been All About Eve, but this one’s all about Wallace and Charlie.

Whether on stage or on film, the prospect of being physically intimate in front of other people is one of the most frightening things a person can endure. You don't want to look, act, smell or taste bad to your partner, let alone an audience who, let's face it, are going to be as critical as if they were going over the Zapruder film.

Scott Sickles deftly shows us in a gentle comedic way, the dance we do when we're about to do that thing we do called "doing it". And it's done with style and a light touch. Bravo.

"Future Collaborations" has to be the best way of describing sex I've heard in ages! That comes near the end of this wonderfully intimate piece. Two actors prepare for a love scene, including an intimacy director, which I didn't even know was a thing! The dialogue moves back and forth between the two men almost as a dance routine. This coupled with the actual routine they have to rehearse gives this piece a wonderfully intimate romantic feel as they manoeuver this relationship towards a wonderful moment. I couldn't help but smile.

Fortunately the theater world has become more sensitive to actors' comfort levels in scenes calling for close physical contact. An intimacy director has minutely choreographed an encounter between two older gay men cast in a groundbreaking production. The two rehearse their moves awkwardly but with increasing mutual interest. A funny, enlightening, and very satisfying play. Scott Sickles never fails to surprise and delight.

Having worked with an intimacy director on the last show I produced, this felt familiar to me. The characters in this show are on a journey toward authenticity in a performance, and while it feels foreign to choreograph and discuss every move, they find that that path yields far more intimate results. Ripe with comic potential!

So brilliant. What a great examination of the art of acting and the nature of actors. It’s easy to forget when watching a movie or play how much thought goes into any given moment. This play is a joy to read and I am sure it would be even a greater joy to see performed!

The characters in "A Carefully Planned Spontaneity" may have a few decades more experience than the protagonists in other Scott Sickles romances, but they express a similar sense of uncertainty, bashfulness, and hope their younger counterparts do.

It's not just that "A Carefully Planned Spontaneity" features characters in their 50s and 60s -- although it's wonderful that it does -- it's also a good story that will have audiences rooting for the future of these characters.

Beyond the technical direction, can intimacy be found for these two? When our actions are scripted with such precision, is there room for real connection?