The story is set in an imaginary Italian Renaissance. Prince Julius of Bramante has two sons: the older son, whom he loves, fathers a girl, while the younger one, whom he hates, has a son. However, the law of the majorat decrees that only men can inherit, so the prince hides his granddaughter and has her receive a physical and intellectual education befitting a young man. The play begins when Gabriel is told this terrible secret whereas she had been unaware of her true nature as a woman. Our young heroine is then offered the choice of remaining Gabriel and living as a free and wealthy prince, or becoming Gabrielle, a disinherited woman condemned to live out her days in a convent. Gabriel chooses to be a prince, seeks out her penniless cousin, Count Astolphe de Bramante, and discovers the world with him. Their friendship grows into a binding love, which soon forces Gabrielle to bend to the codes of a conservative and patriarchal society, reinforced by the authority of her jealous spouse who will cause her destiny to take a tragic turn.
Imprisoned in a complex identity shaped by the conditions of her upbringing, Gabriel is a hybrid being, both woman and man, seeking to connect with her troubled feelings as she makes her way in the world.
In staging Gabriel, Laurent Delvert’s interest lies, beyond the beauty of the language, in George Sand’s struggles for equality between women and men, and along with the author he probes our willingness and shortcomings when it comes to freeing ourselves from determinism.

NEW PRODUCTION

AUTOUR DU SPECTACLE

RENCONTRE samedi 15 octobre à 15h
avec Michelle Perrot et Martine Reid
animée par Béline Dolat
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LECTURE lundi 17 octobre à 20h30
GEORGE & SOLANGE
Correspondance entre George Sand et sa fille
direction artistique Anne Kessler
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Adaptation: Laurent Delvert and Aurélien Hamard-Padis
Directed by: Laurent Delvert
Dramaturgy: Aurélien Hamard-Padis
Scenography: Philippine Ordinaire
Costumes: Vanessa Sannino and Fanny Brouste
Lighting: Nathalie Perrier
Sound: Miniature Mrs.
Combat setting: Jerome Westholm
Assistant director: Sandra Choquet