Barcelona opera production among first to use intimacy coordinator

Ita O'Brien says producers initially questioned need for her role in staging of Antony and Cleopatra

Love, lust and power pulsate through Shakespeare's tale of Antony and Cleopatra. Now, in what is believed to be a first for Spain, so will the concept of consent as Barcelona's main opera house prepares to stage an adaptation of the tragedy.

The operatic version, due to open this week at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, is among the first in Europe to have worked with an intimacy coordinator in an effort to ensure performers are comfortable as they tackle scenes that include everything from touching to kissing and caressing.