Bridge Initiative Accepting Submissions for Bechdel Test Fest

The Bridge Initiative: Women in Theatre is accepting submissions from local playwrights for The Bechdel Test Fest on September 9th & 10th at Tempe Center for the Arts. Male and female ArizOna Playwrights encouraged to submit short and full-length plays that satisfy the requirements of the Bechdel Test: two female characters who talk to each other about something other than a man.

The concept that launched the Bechdel Test appeared in 1985 in a comic series titled Dykes to Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel, who attributes the idea to her friend Liz Wallace. It refers to the representation of women in film, and according to numerous press reports annually, many films continue to fail to meet its criteria. When conceiving of The Bechdel Test Fest, the Bridge Initiative decided to apply the test not only to film but also to theatre, charging writers to consider complex, diverse female characters when they sit down to write.

Selected plays will include up to three full-length and several short plays that will be rehearsed and presented in public readings, mostly free of charge and open to the public. The festival will also include music, workshops, discussions, a mixer, and film screenings. For consideration or more information, email info@bridgeinit.com.

The Bridge Initiative is an Arizona nonprofit working to identify and empower female artists in the Southwest region, with the aim of gender parity across all theatrical disciplines. Its mission also includes bridging the gap between academia and the professional world to encourage students to envision a clearer path to becoming lifelong artists.