We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Samantha Kaufman. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Samantha below.
Hi Samantha, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
Growing up in rural Wyoming, where people are forged through constant hard work in agriculture, is where my work ethic was developed. I come from hardy people. People who worked their whole lives, dusk to dawn, with callused hands and tanned leathery skin. It is easy to adopt a strong work ethic from a culture of folks who do not understand giving up, of people who toil in the dirt, of clever people who are too stubborn to not answer every problem solving conundrum. From this culture did I develop my work ethic. My parents were business owners in their own right. If they fail they fail themselves and us. There was no room for lazy work, for procrastination, or half commitments. Hard work was the only option, but from hard work they reaped the rewards fully and honorably. Their efforts were directly rewarded and with gratitude they received them.
I do not know a world in my rearing where anything but a strong work ethic existed. And it is through community and nurturing that I have attained this valuable skill.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
The theatre is a rewarding career. Rewarding with joy and creativity. I found theatre at a young age, knowing full well I would commit my life to it. At the time it served as an escape from my angsty teen existence into worlds of expansive possibilities. Early in my youth I was privileged with a mentor and friend, Merlin Hitt, who ignited my passion in theatre. Presenting me with endless books to read and discussions about storytelling concepts that lasted days or weeks. We were both infectious with our love of theatre and that love grew quickly into the fabric of my being. Merlin encouraged me to pursue theatre, acting specifically, in college. This was a big leap for someone coming from a family of agriculture. A family who only know “theatre” to mean “poor and starving.” Despite this Merlin persisted, and that persistence led to me meeting my next mentor, John O’Hagan.
It’s my senior year in high school, I’m competing at State Drama, a place where high school students across the state of Wyoming come to compete in theatre. We were presenting the Greek tragedy “Antigone,” where I played the title character. In the audience was John O’Hagan, a teacher at the University of Wyoming. He was quickly impressed by my work and did not hesitate to share so. Breaking protocol to not poach students for the University that early in the conference, he bolted for me. John encouraged me to consider University of Wyoming for college, and specifically to audition for the talent scholarship the department offers. It took little convincing. University of Wyoming is the only university in Wyoming, and is known in our high school theatre communities to be quite selective in who they give scholarships to. My mind was made up.
Through my undergraduate studies, John stayed true to his enthusiasm to teach me; me and any student who would take the work seriously. His instruction laid the foundation for the skill in theatre I would use through my career. John also introduced me to the Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD), more on that soon. He has since continued to support my journey, offering me work when he can. As undergrad drew to a close, John encouraged me audition for graduate school.
After many auditions and callbacks, I walked into a room for a callback for a candidacy in the graduate program of Florida Atlantic University, it was love at first sight. My gut and instincts knew from meeting the teachers there, that this was my next chapter. Graduate school was a 2 year intensive program through the summers where 10 candidates were taken through instruction towards their masters degree. It was intense, it felt long at the time. I knew more about my other 9 grad mates than I knew about myself. We grew immensely together. This built all the bones for the house that would be my career in theatre,
Chicago called my name after grad school, both because of it’s vibrant theatre community and its rich stage combat community. Having started my stage combat journey in undergrad with John, I continued it throughout my academic years. Finding any moment I could to fly away and train it with masters of the art. This constant training launched me into Chicago as a fight director, someone who choreographs and directs moments of violence on stage, fake fighting if you will. Chicago was nice for my acting career but that paled in comparison to my fight directing career. For every acting gig I was offered, I was offered 5 fight directing gigs. The bubble made by this difference burst finally, leading to my mourning my acting career and fully engaging my energy as a fight director.
In the background of all this journey, starting in undergrad I started puttering around with how to make theatre spaces safer. For moments of intimacy (sex, kiss, sexual assault) to be more structured. This lead me to the Godmother of intimacy, Tonia Sina. Early in the 2010s, Tonia was eagerly presenting this new idea “Intimacy Direction” at conferences across the nation. I was hooked and took anything I could from her. In 2016, Tonia Sina, Alicia Rodis, and Siohban Richardson formed Intimacy Directors International (IDI). I jumped into training with them, certified as an intimacy director in 2018 and began teaching and intimacy directing across the country. Intimacy directors are artists to choreograph moments of intimacy (nudity, stories of sexual moments, etc.), they advocate for the artists involved with the making of those moments, and they liase across departments involved in the making of those moments. Intimacy Directors are consent forward artists who are trauma informed and create structures in the process of storytelling to support all involved while making compelling and impactful stories of intimacy.
In 2020 IDI dissolved and in the vacuum they left, Intimacy Directors and Coordinators stepped in. I was part of the first group to be invited on as a certified artists, part of the early groups of teaching artists they had, and have since contributed to their curriculum development.
So here we are, in the present. Me working out of Chicago, as a fight director, intimacy director, and teaching artist. More information of what I am working on and the things I am teaching can be found on my website SamanthaJKaufman.com
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Listening, communicating, and training are the three things that have contributed most to my journey. Listening to those around me has given me a constant feedback loop of where I am. Communicating when I need help or have boundaries has given me the tools and attention I need to grow and change on my journey. Training has given me a beginners mindset that awards me with constant opportunity for growth. My advice for those early on their journey is to slow down, to soak in the opportunities around you. To indulge in learning and enjoy the ride.
All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
The arts have never been lucrative financially. With the economy the way it is the arts are hurting more than usual. It is difficult to be a working artist when the institutions hiring you are struggling to stay afloat. I encourage everyone who has the means to support local art, of all kinds. To donate when they can, whether that be time or money. It may seem like pennies that you can give but the ripple effect of helping and supporting art is huge on our community.
Contact Info:
- Website: SamanthaJKaufman.com
- Instagram: samijo_wy
- Facebook: Samantha Kaufman
