The title character of George Sand’s Gabriel is passionate, athletic, nobly-minded, and the heir to both a principality and a secret: Gabriel is female, raised as a boy since birth. In writing about a protagonist who must choose between living as a man – the only life Gabriel has ever known – and living as a woman in male-dominated society, Sand engages not only with questions of feminism that ring true both in her time and in the present, but also with a proto-trans narrative. Head Trick’s production will be performed by a cast of female and gender non-conforming actors.

“Women and minorities aren’t a modern invention”, says Head Trick’s artistic director Rebecca Maxfield, whose company focuses on classic plays. “We’ve always been here, and in planning a season with the political situation at the forefront of our minds, Head Trick is choosing to put those voices and stories out there.”