Our Interstate Initiative is designed to amplify women's voices from communities outside of New York City, in particular, states that are actively suppressing the rights of women, non-binary, and underrepresented genders.

The program will not only advance the work of feminist artists in communities where they may be getting little or no support. It will bring vital perspective and experience into the NYC "bubble." We are confident that this program will be invigorating and valuable in both directions.

Bechdel Project has long had an impact outside of NYC through its university residencies. The Interstate Initiative is a way to learn from and support feminists who are on the front lines while continuing to extend our reach in the pursuit of our mission. 

Projects accepted into the program are given time and space in the Bechdel Project studios to advance their work and share it with NY audiences.

Bechdel Project's pilot project was Atlanta Reclamation Studios’, "Mavens of St. Catherines Island." A new full-length ghost play with a unique arrangement of folk music, written by Catherine Mew with SR Gentry, and showcasing the incredible talents of an all-Atlanta-based team, including Tanyah Hope Anderson, Denise Arribas, LaLa Cochran, Tamalyn Meller, Eden Mew, and Kiersten Wallace.

The play, now in its second year of development with support from the Nexus Fund and The Warhol Foundation, had two staged readings hosted at the Bechdel Project studios for industry professionals on November 5th and 6th. Bechdel Project facilitated talkbacks that not only engaged the community but also provided invaluable feedback for the Atlanta Reclamation Studios team.

The impact of the Interstate Initiative on "Mavens of St. Catherines Island" has been profound. The readings were very well-received by NY audiences, critics, and historians alike, and the piece has since had staged readings at The Alley Theatre, in Jan 2024, a series of stage readings at The Gullah Geechee Cultural Center (one of its dramaturgical partners), Armstrong University, and is currently preparing for a designer showcase reading with Savannah Rep in September, 2024.