Dr. Paulette Marty, Professor of Theatre Arts in the Department of Theatre and Dance, has just had her work published in the Summer 2026 issue of the Journal of Consent-Based Performance. The article, "Creating a Culture of Consent Across the Theatre Curriculum," distills insights from literature on consent-related topics, as well as from a panel titled “Consent Across the Curriculum” held at the 2024 Association for Theatre in Higher Education Conference, to create a list of strategies that theatre faculty and staff might use to promote ethical engagement with students in multiple contexts across their programs. Dr. Marty cites several of her Theatre and Dance colleagues in the article, including Dr. Derek Davidson, John Marty, and Elizabeth Parks.
Dr. Marty has been training in theatrical intimacy practices for the past eight years and completed three diplomas with the national training organization Theatrical Intimacy Education. “The introduction of choreography for moments of intimacy in theatre and film has been a huge shift in the industry,” she notes. “It allows performers the chance to articulate their boundaries for their own physical and psychological well-being, and it also makes for better storytelling because everything is carefully planned and can be repeated consistently for the entire length of a show’s run.”
It has had a major impact on educational institutions as well as professional contexts. “Student performers now are more empowered to consider and discuss their boundaries, not only in rehearsal and acting classes, but also in other spaces." And it’s been good for instructors too. "When you are working with actors, you cannot avoid giving them direction on what to do with their bodies, which has historically been pretty weird for everyone involved (and unfortunately sometimes damaging). The language and techniques of intimacy choreography have provided instructors a professional and respectful way to give students specific and detailed direction involving their bodies.”
About the Department of Theatre and Dance
One of seven departments housed in the College of Fine and Applied Arts, the Department of Theatre and Dance's mission is to facilitate transformative experiences for students and the public, which cultivate compassionate, creative, and collaborative communities through theatre and dance. The department also offers coursework for integrated learning through the arts to the general university student population. Its dynamic co-curricular production program provides exemplary theatre and dance experiences to departmental students, the university community, and the region.
About the College of Fine and Applied Arts
Appalachian State University's College of Fine and Applied Arts is a dynamic and innovative group of seven academic departments, bringing together a variety of perspectives, experiences, and real-world education to provide unique opportunities for student success. The college has more than 3,500 undergraduate and graduate majors. Its departments are Applied Design, Art, Communication, Military Science and Leadership, Sustainable Development, Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment, and Theatre and Dance.
About Appalachian State University
As the premier public undergraduate institution in the Southeast, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls nearly 21,795 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio, and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.
Dr. Paulette Marty thumbnail
Dr. Paulette Marty thumbnail