Presqu'il-e

‘Presqu’îl-e’ by Pauline Sauveur explores gender transition through a dialogue between two characters (who are both ‘he’ and ‘she’), embodying the internal and social tensions of an identity transformation. Structured as a symbolic journey, the play traces the practical (hormone treatments, administrative procedures) and intimate (gestures, glances, language) stages of a transformation from female to male.

The theatrical form, oscillating between a two-voiced monologue and a fragmentary narrative, blends poetry with documentary precision to capture the shifting balance between past and present identities. Driven by rhythmic and evocative writing, the work explores the persistence of the ‘before’ within the process of reinvention, whilst offering a universal reflection on belonging and the freedom to define oneself.