The Bridge Initiative

Stop Kiss by Diana Son
2026-03-06 19:30, 2026-03-12 19:30, 2026-03-14 19:30, 2026-03-15 14:00 - 15:30 (America/Phoenix) | Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway, Tempe, 85281, United States
Experience a story that’s as heartfelt as it is unforgettable. When Callie, a New Yorker drifting through life, meets Sara, a spirited teacher new to the city, an unexpected friendship blossoms into something deeper. But their first kiss triggers a violent attack that changes everything—forcing both women to confront love, loss, and what it means to be truly brave.
Told with warmth, wit, and raw honesty, Stop Kiss moves fluidly between moments of laughter and heartbreak, showing how one instant can transform two lives forever. Hailed by Variety as “a poignant and funny play about the ways, both sudden and slow, that lives can change irrevocably,” this production celebrates human resilience and the power of connection in the face of adversity. Stop Kiss is an emotional journey you won’t soon forget—poignant, powerful, and deeply human.
Content Advisory: Stop Kiss explores themes of anti-LGBTQ+ violence. The play includes graphic description of a hate crime, which is not depicted onstage; adult language and situations, homophobia and homophobic slurs, and sexism.
DIRECTOR: Maren Maclean Mascarelli
ASST DIRECTOR: Jackie Horn
CULTURAL CONSULTANT: Elaine “E.E.” Moe
STAGE MANAGER: Courtney Kenyon
SCENIC DESIGN & TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: Cheryl Briley
LIGHTING DESIGN: Justus Burkitt
SOUND DESIGN: Clayton Caufman
COSTUME DESIGN: Mickey Courtney
PROPS DESIGN: Dolores E. Mendoza
CAST: Thommi A’mal, Natalie Andrews, Phillip Beaupre, Mitchell Glass, Kate Haas, and Paul Perkins, with UNDERSTUDY Erin Leigh Beale
Stop Kiss is presented by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC,
servicing the Dramatists Play Service collection. www.dramatists.com.
This production is partially funded by a City of Tempe – Community Arts Grant.

Photos by Jason K. Walz

Stop Kiss by Diana Son
2026-03-07 14:00 - 17:00
Experience a story that’s as heartfelt as it is unforgettable. When Callie, a New Yorker drifting through life, meets Sara, a spirited teacher new to the city, an unexpected friendship blossoms into something deeper. But their first kiss triggers a violent attack that changes everything—forcing both women to confront love, loss, and what it means to be truly brave.
Told with warmth, wit, and raw honesty, Stop Kiss moves fluidly between moments of laughter and heartbreak, showing how one instant can transform two lives forever. Hailed by Variety as “a poignant and funny play about the ways, both sudden and slow, that lives can change irrevocably,” this production celebrates human resilience and the power of connection in the face of adversity. Stop Kiss is an emotional journey you won’t soon forget—poignant, powerful, and deeply human.
Content Advisory: Stop Kiss explores themes of anti-LGBTQ+ violence. The play includes graphic description of a hate crime, which is not depicted onstage; adult language and situations, homophobia and homophobic slurs, and sexism.
DIRECTOR: Maren Maclean Mascarelli
ASST DIRECTOR: Jackie Horn
CULTURAL CONSULTANT: Elaine “E.E.” Moe
STAGE MANAGER: Courtney Kenyon
SCENIC DESIGN & TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: Cheryl Briley
LIGHTING DESIGN: Justus Burkitt
SOUND DESIGN: Clayton Caufman
COSTUME DESIGN: Mickey Courtney
PROPS DESIGN: Dolores E. Mendoza
CAST: Thommi A’mal, Natalie Andrews, Phillip Beaupre, Mitchell Glass, Kate Haas, and Paul Perkins, with UNDERSTUDY Erin Leigh Beale
Stop Kiss is presented by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC,
servicing the Dramatists Play Service collection. www.dramatists.com.
This production is partially funded by a City of Tempe – Community Arts Grant.

Single Black Female by Lisa B. Thompson
2026-03-07 19:30 - 21:00, 2026-03-08 14:00 - 15:30, 2026-03-11 19:30 - 21:00, 2026-03-13 19:30 - 21:00, 2026-03-14 14:00 - 15:30
Single Black Female is a two-woman show with rapid-fire comic vignettes that explore the lives of thirty-something African American middle-class women as they search for love, clothes, and dignity in a world that fails to recognize them amongst a parade of stereotypical images. SBF 1, an English literature professor, and SBF 2, a corporate lawyer, keep each other balanced as they face their fears of rejection, share hopes for romance, and reminisce about black girlhood wounds. While embodying a variety of characters, the girlfriends discuss the absurdities of interracial dating, the lure of recreational shopping, and the merits of college reunions for bolstering one’s self-esteem. After reviewing their escapades in past relationships and confessing their own mounting anxieties about commitment and the possibility of motherhood, the pair realize their best chance at love may be found closer than they ever imagined.
ORIGINAL DIRECTOR: Bray Lawrence
STAGE MANAGER: Courtney Kenyon
LIGHTING DESIGN: Justus Burkitt
SOUND DESIGN: Clayton Caufman
COSTUME ASSISTANCE: Mickey Courtney
CAST: Cynnita Agent and Racquel McKenzie*
Content Advisory: This play uses strong language and discusses sensitive adult topics including dating experiences and medical exams.
*Appears through the courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
SINGLE BLACK FEMALE is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com. This production originated at Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival in 2023.
This project is partially funded by the City of Tempe – Community Arts Grant

Photos by Mark H. Thompson Jr.

Shakespeare's Sirens by Hannah Johnson
2026-03-10 19:00 - 20:30
Shakespeare’s Sirens is a short and engaging cabaret-style one-woman show that explores women, love, music, and death in Shakespeare’s plays, and a recurring question: Why do Shakespeare’s women always sing, suffer, and then die? The performance will be followed by a talkback with the artists.
Written and Performed by Hannah Johnson
Accompanied on guitar by Jacob Johnson
Stage Manager: Courtney Kenyon
Lighting Design: Justus Burkitt
This production is partially funded by a City of Tempe – Community Arts Grant.
Photo by Christopher Deacon
