PASSING THE BECHDEL TEST

Together with thirteen youngsters (f/x), Jan Martens creates scenes that consider gender diversity and gender equality.

In 1929 Virginia Woolf stated that female characters are usually defined by their relationship to male characters. The Bechdel test was developed in the 1980s: an informal test to assess the degree of sexism in fiction. A determiner of this would be when at least two women converse about something other than a man. When applied to today’s mainstream films and literature, the results remain troubling.

Together with thirteen youngsters (f/x), Jan Martens creates scenes that consider gender diversity and gender equality. The young people take on board each other’s position and those of female authors and personalities: from Woolf and Winterson to Sontag, Solnit and Solange. Fragments from letters, diaries, lyrics, essays and TED talks form the frame to which their own biographies are added. For the first time, Jan Martens focuses on text. From his choreographic perspective and together with the young people, he designs a manifesto for the future.

Credits

Creation Jan Martens met Isabel Braamkolk, Noor Caestecker, Anouk Claassen, Renée De Coninck, Luna Glowacki, Bente Govaerts, Noor Hollemeersch, Birgit Lesage, Marie Libens, Hannah Peiren, Celina Vercruysse, Yanou Van Dessel & Mirren Vandenberk | Artistic assistance Kimmy Ligtvoet | Dramaturgy Peter Anthonissen | Advice Rudi Meulemans | Lighting design Elke Verachtert | Costumes advice Lotte Stek | Production Management Teresa Wouters & Sylvie Svanberg | Distribution Vincent Company | International Distribution A Propic / Line Rousseau & Marion Gauvent | Production fABULEUS & GRIP | Coproductie STUK & tanzhaus nrw | Thanks to Renée Copraij, Fransien Van der Putt, Moos Van den Broek, SDimone Atangana Bekono en Siska Baeck | With support of the Flemish Government & City of Leuven