Cast and Creatives Announced for September Festival at Tempe Center for the Arts

Twenty-six actors, six directors, four stage managers, and more creatives have been hired for The Bechdel Test Fest, September 9th & 10th, co-produced by The Bridge Initiative: Women in Theatre and Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway,Tempe AZ 85281. The two-day festival prominently features play readings from ArizOna Playwrights, but also includes screenings of films from Arizona filmmakers, as well as discussions and workshops.

Wonder Woman dominated summer box office numbers, and the thirst for complex and strong female characters is well documented. The Bridge Initiative applies the Bechdel Test (namely, are there two female characters? Who speak to each other? About something other than a man?) to both theatre and film, and will host talk-backs after each festival event to discuss the impact of using this metric in the festival's content selection process.

The festival launches at noon, Saturday, September 9th, with a panel discussion entitled, "Why the Bechdel Test? The Importance of Diverse Voices." Leaders from the community will join the conversation around how entertainment programming impacts education, social justice, and community. Panelists include Professor Chandra Crudup (ASU's School of Social Work); Ralph Remington (Tempe Center for the Arts); Amanda Embry (Scottsdale Community College), and Diane Senffner (Cine Learning Productions). This is a free event, moderated by Bridge Initiative co-founders Brenda Jean Foley and Tracy Liz Miller, and will include an audience Q&A.

Ticketing and full festival details can be found at the Tempe Center for the Arts' box office: tca.ticketforce.com and The Bridge Initiative's website: bridgeinit.com.