Maya Herbsman

Intimacy Director (Live Performance)

Location: San Francisco, CA

Contact: mherbsman7@gmail.com

Maya Herbsman (she/hers) is a Middle Eastern Bay Area/Ohlone Land based intimacy director, director, arts administrator, and educator. 

Maya is passionate about staging queer and disability-focused narratives, medical intimacy, and stylized intimacy. She is dedicated to creating safe, challenging rooms to support the creation of risky, inventive, and authentic choreography. She has over 10 years of experience with various styles of movement and dance. 

Maya has been the first intimacy professional at theaters across the Bay Area including Berkeley Repertory Theater, Theatreworks Silicon Valley, San Francisco Playhouse, Shotgun Players, Golden Thread Productions, Z Space, Cutting Ball Theater, Crowded Fire Theater, and more. 

She is currently on faculty at Berkeley Repertory Theater, American Conservatory Theater (ACT), and The Urban School of San Francisco and is a recurring guest lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley and Stanford.  Maya has intimacy directed and coordinated for ACT and San Francisco State’s MFA programs. She holds a BA from Wesleyan University in Theater, with the Rachel Henderson Memorial Prize in Directing. 

Maya is honored to be a part of the movement to create a better and safer future for our industry.