ABOUT
What We Are
A feminist arts incubator that develops stories for the stage and screen that pass the Bechdel Test.*
There are three criteria to pass the Bechdel Test:
The story must have at least 2 women.
They must talk to each other.
About something besides a man.
In 1929 Virginia Woolf wrote in A Room of One's Own, “fictitious women, are too simple — contrary to the living, breathing, complex women of real life, (they) are almost always depicted only “in their relation to men.” After nearly 100 years we still have work to do.
Bechdel Project advocates for and develops new works that tell the stories of multi-faceted women that are not just ‘in relation to men.’
Chimamanda Adichie warns us of "the danger of a single story." Bechdel Project's intersectional work is an antidote to narrow fictions that warp the way we see the world and our place in it.
Our mission is not only good for society. It's good business. Women make up the majority of theatre and film audiences and hold 86% of the purchasing power in the United States, so it's not surprising research shows that stories that pass the Bechdel test do significantly better at the box office.
Bechdel Project is a marriage of art and activism, education, and economics.
Come, be a part of the story.
*Bechdel Project's name comes from what is popularly known as the "The Bechdel Test" based on Alison Bechdel's comic strip "The Rule" in "Dykes to Watch Out For." Ms. Bechdel is not personally involved in the organization in any way.
Who We Are
Maria Aparo
(she/her)
Maria is a producer and multi-disciplinary artist whose artistic footprint spans the globe. She’s produced theater, film, and new media. Her performances have been seen on stages, screens big and small, the streets of New York City, and the visual works of renowned artists. What excites her most is the development of new works that question and/or subvert societal norms by blurring the line between where art ends and life begins.
Lucy Flournoy
(she/her)
Lucy works internationally as a theatremaker, physical theater artist, dancer and choreographer. Flournoy is a co-founder and co-artistic director of the physical theater company HUFFSTREET Theatre Co. and is Chair of the Board of the Physical Theater Network, e.V. in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. www.LucyFlournoy.com
Jens Rasmussen
(he/they)
Jens is an award-winning artist, activist, and co-founder of Bechdel Project who focuses on devised and ensemble-built work across multiple mediums. When not busy in Brooklyn, he enjoys teaching movement and playmaking at universities across the country. www.jensrasmussen.info
Where We Are
Bechdel Project's studio spaces are located on the unceded lands of the Lanape people. We recognize that we benefit from the ongoing legacies of colonialism and white supremacy, even as we work to dismantle those systems. We are committed to uplifting BIPOC voices, respecting traditional lands, and working with communities towards reconciliation.