Bechdel Project has announced Jeanne Dorsey as the recipient of the inaugural Room of One's Own (ROO) Writer's Residency. During the residency, Ms. Dorsey will fully develop her new play "The Kit: Made by Martha," which was a 2021  Ensemble Studio Theatre /Sloan Commission. The play is inspired by Martha Goddard, whose sexual assault evidence collection kit revolutionized how cases against sexual assault perpetrators were built and standardized the compassionate treatment of rape victims without revictimizing them. This inaugural year the ROO Residency was open to feminist writers (of any intersection) looking to develop a new work based on women from history. Ms. Dorsey was selected for the ROO Residency from over 100 applicants from around the world. Jeanne Dorsey Jeanne Dorsey is a New York based writer of plays, screenplays, teleplays, and essays. Her work has been published by Seal Press, Smith and Krauss, Heinemann Press, and Applause Books and produced by Ensem...

By Caroline Kelly Franklin, author of The Bronte Girls A recurring theme of THE BRONTE GIRLS is women not needing a hero to stand in front and protect them but rather needing champions to fight on their side. From beginning to end working with the Bechdel Project to produce The Bronte Girls Trilogy Staged Reading Event was one of the best artistic experiences of my life. Finding someone willing to take on a trilogy felt nearly impossible before I started working with Bechdel Project. They have obliterated my expectations from the first "yes." The event included not only a rehearsed staged reading of all three parts but also food and cocktails between each piece making it a full-day endeavor. Bechdel connected me with directors to interview, assisted with casting where needed, provided a space to rehearse and perform, constant moral and creative support, helped curate an industry guest list, promoted the work, and collaborated on every element of production. Because of Bechdel...