Educator Advocate Program

Educate. Equip. Evolve.

Are you your program or department’s go-to “intimacy person”?
The one expected to have all of the answers about consent and boundaries?

Do you want to be an Educator Advocate? Applications for 2025 are now open! Please submit your application by January 31st.

What is the program?

This program brings together the tools we think educators need with a specially designed curriculum, a supportive, cohort experience, and a connection to an open-minded network of educators to grow with through inquiry and robust debate, so that even when you are the “go-to”, you’re never on your own.

TIE’s Educator Advocate Program’s goal is to make TIE’s already accessible training more accessible for educational and professional organizations with educational programming.

Once a year, any institution with performing arts training programming may nominate one educator to attend a 6-day intensive with Theatrical Intimacy Education.

Participants spend those 6 days with TIE educators and other arts leaders to be better equipped to support consent-based learning environments in their schools. They will go deeper into choreographing intimacy, learn the process of intimacy coordination, DEI training, trauma-informed practices training, Cognitive Equity in Design, basic modesty garment training, consent-based casting policies, writing policy, and bystander intervention training.

Participants get six days of educator-focused training, including workshops and working sessions on the following topics:

• A Deep-Dive into the pedagogy of TIE Best Practices and Consent in the Acting Classroom

• Curating Trauma Conscious Spaces

• Modesty Garments Basics

• Intimacy Choreography

• Intimacy Coordination Basics

• Background for Working with Minors

• Bystander Intervention Training

• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Training

• Working with Minors

• and more!

In addition, participants will also experience:

• Supportive and constructive feedback on their work from TIE Co-Founder Laura Rikard and other members of the TIE Faculty

• Opportunities to practice their skills with a hired company of student actors

What else do you get?

• Six beautiful days in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains

• A bag of TIE Swag

• Documentation of your training

• A complimentary social event

• Your training program listed on the TIE EA Programs Page (under construction)

• Check-ins with TIE Faculty and your EA Cohort (more detail in Step 7 below)

• Transportation from the AC Hotel by Marriott Spartanburg (there’s a pool!) to the training facility at USC Upstate

How do I apply?

Step 1: Sponsorship

Because this program is designed for professional educators, we encourage applicants to seek out your organization’s sponsorship. Before you apply, check with your organization (department chair, educational director, etc.) to see if they are able to sponsor you as their nominee and (hopefully) cover or subsidize the cost for your attendance. If your organization is unable to sponsor you but you are able to secure funding for the training, you are still welcome to apply.

Step 2: Application

Fill out the short application linked below. We ask you for a little about yourself, information about your organization, sponsor/reference contact information, a CV/resume/list of relevant qualifications, and to answer the following prompts:

• Why you are hoping to participate in this program, and what are you looking to bring back to your institution?

• Why do you think your institution is a good fit for a TIE Educator Advocate?

• Anything else you want us to know about you or your application.

Applications will for the 2025 EAP will be available November 18th, 2024.

Step 3: Application Review

The TIE Team reviews applications.

Step 4: Selection

Candidates selected for the EA Program will be notified by February 1st, 2025.

Step 5: Prep

EAP Candidates will be asked to gather some materials about their institutions and some materials for exercises. This will be used to individualize their experience.

Step 6: Six-Day Intensive

Six days of learning, sharing, and growing together.

Step 7: Keep Doing the Work

Successful completion of the six-day intensive doesn’t mean you’re done - it means you’re more ready than ever to get to work. EAs have access to 10-hours of one-on-one time with Laura, or an appropriate member of the TIE team.

Logistics

Date

July 7-12, 2025

Location

The University of South Carolina, Upstate in Spartanburg, SC

Program Cost

$3500 Program Cost (lodging not included)

$4900 Program Cost with a Single-Occupancy Room at AC Marriott

If selected, a $500 deposit will be due by March 1, 2025 to hold your spot. The remainder of the cost is due by June 1, 2025.

We recognize that this cost is higher than our typical workshop fees, but we are committed to paying our team, guest artists, and the ensemble of hired actors for their time and expertise over six days of intensive labor together. There aren’t directly comparable programs, but the closest comparable programs in 2024 cost (before 2023-2024 adjustments) between $567-$667/day ($1700-$2000/3 days) whereas the 2025 EA Program cost is $583/day.

We designed this program as a professional and institutional development investment for members of sponsoring organizations. We determined that this scope of training program would be possible given that educators from supportive institutions would, given the benefit to the institution, be able to receive institutional funding, rather than exclusively self-funding their attendance at another workshop.

Lodging

We have secured a special rate for rooms at the beautiful AC Hotel by Marriot Spartanburg for $1400. If you select an option that includes lodging, the TIE Team will book your lodging and provide transportation by car to and from the training from the hotel. At check-in, all you will need to provide is an ID and a credit card for incidentals.

Participants are welcome to arrange their own lodging and (with consent) we will share contact information of participants within the cohort in advance of the payment deadline so that people looking to share a room, split an AirBnb, or find rides can coordinate.

Scholarships

There are two scholarships available that cover the full program tuition cost. On the application, prospective participants will be able to select if they want to be considered and if they want to be considered if they are not selected for the scholarship. TIE always provides at least two no-fee workshop spots to every workshop we offer. Read more here.

Travel

Participants traveling by air can fly into Greenville/Spartanburg (GSP), which is an 18-minute Lyft ride from the campus. Participants could also choose fly into Asheville (AVL), or Charlotte (CLT) and we can try to assist with transportation to Spartanburg. Program cost does not include travel beyond transportation between the hotel and the training site.

Parking

There is complimentary parking at the AC Hotel and also on campus.

Food

Downtown Spartanburg has a number of dining options and a grocery store that are all walking distance from the AC Hotel. There is a complimentary dinner one evening.

COVID-19 & Emergencies

In the event that TIE determines it would be appropriate to cancel the program due to COVID-19 or another public health or safety emergency, all costs paid to TIE by participants will be refunded. In the event that a participant chooses not to attend, they should contact TIE immediately to discuss options, but fees may not be refunded.

Additional Eligibility

In addition to the criteria listed above, all participants must be 18 years or older on or before July 7, 2025. 

FAQ

Do I have to be in this program to take TIE courses?
Absolutely not! We will continue to offer all of our courses (and continue to expand our course offerings) in both online and in-person formats (more in-person stuff coming soon). Anyone and everyone are welcome to take any and all TIE courses à la carte and at their own pace. The EA Program is a customized and curated selection of training for educators in an intensive setting, but this training will always be offered in other formats. We will have other curated programs soon, but we will always prioritize ongoing education and expanding access.

Why is this program only for educators?
This program is focused on investigating the unique challenges present in the power dynamics of educational settings and amplifying tools and pedagogy for consent-based teaching. Educators in the classroom every day, or who are working primarily with student/training artists, have a unique opportunity to re-norm how performers are trained.

Will you offer an intensive for professional choreographers and/or coordinators?
Yes! It’s already in the works. Hold tight.

Why request sponsors/references from my institution/program/department?
This program is for representatives from institutions that are ready to invest in change. We are really excited to spend six days with a cohort of educators who are primarily concerned with pushing the discipline forward, rather than in strategy sessions about how to get your department on board.
We will always be there for educators, and we plan to offer more versions of this training in the future - as well as continue to offer advice in our other workshops.

Will I be certified? Can I certify other people?
You will earn all credits towards the TIE Beginner Diploma, with the exception of Mental Health First Aid Certification.

Does this mean I can teach TIE workshops? Does this make me TIE Faculty?
No. Only TIE Faculty can teach TIE workshops, but EAs are ambassadors (advocates!) for TIE work and will be encouraged to bring TIE Tools into their institution.

If you have other questions, please reach out!

The Educator Advocate Program is made possible with the support of USC Upstate.