“The Bechdel Test for Women in Movies.” Ever hear of it? It is a feminist, but very reasonable, test to see  how women are depicted in movies. It asks these three questions about movies (and works great on plays too):

1. Does it have at least two women with names?
2. Do they talk to each other?
3. Do they talk about something besides a man?

Lots and LOTS of scripts fail this test. I’m happy to say that “Big Feet, Big Love,” my sexy, musical romp about a reluctant porn star PASSES the test. One of the very first scenes has the female lead, Nevada Jones, talking to one of her pole dancers, Jade, about a new routine. Then Nevada talks to her good friend, Nidia, about her hopes and dreams for a new dance-school/tourist-trap.

On the other hand, my dramedy “House of Many Rooms” fails, or passes, the test depending on the casting. I have plenty of named female characters, but Corinthia, Cookie and Jill barely acknowledge each other. Their lack of communication is the central problem ruining the life of our hero, Jeffery, who struggles with Dissociative Identity Disorder. However, if you cast a female therapist (specifically allowed with this play), the female characters do talk about a young girl who remains unnamed until the last few seconds of the play when Corinthia reveals how to learn the name of the murdered child. It’s all very sad and funny and terrible and uplifting, but I’m not sure it passes the Bechdel Test. So, I guess I’m batting 500. How are you doing with the plays you write or produce?

Here is a funny breakdown on the test from the folks at FeministFrequency.

The Charlotte Script Workshop is a group of writers and actors that get together once a month and read up to 30 pages from new screenplays and stage plays. It’s a hoot and this month, they read my new play “House of Many Rooms.” This play is a small cast, one set dramedy about a young math with multiple personalities.

New Play Strong Points

Thanks to some wonderful cold readings by Charlotte’s talented actors, the overwhelming comment from this sophisticated group was that they were “Entranced!” Other positive comments included:

• Fun script
• Skillful and cleaver dialog
• Good clues and foreshadowing
• Nice “family” relationships between characters
• Sympathetic POV character (Dr. Branson)

“House of Many Rooms” Areas to Improve

Of course, the whole point of “workshopping” a play is to find and correct weak areas. The audience had the same primary concern I had–the character introductions dragged a little in Act I, especially the monologues by Cookie, the motherly personality. This was a valid point, and one I was concerned about myself. Of course, I didn’t spot that Cookie was the worst offender so thanks for that everyone! Having only read Act I, the audience also wondered how, even IF, I would be able to tie it all together in Act II. Since I wrote the whole thing, I know the story will come together beautifully in the second half.

Genre

I also specifically asked the group what genre they would put this story in. My thought was that “House of Many Rooms” was a psychological drama or a mystery with some funny bits. However, the actors took my material and got a lot more laughs from it than I imagined. Everyone else said it was a definitely a dramedy. Okay. I’d rather promote a dramedy than a tragedy any day.

Future Productions

So, what’s next for “House of Many Rooms”? A few easy corrections and a hopefully a full, concert style reading at a local college or a full production at a local playhouse. For more information, go to: MyNewPlay.com. You can also contact Rodney Robbins via e-mail.