STRAP-ON is an original play that explores the true story of Gayle Newland, a university student from Chester, England, who in November of 2015 was sentenced to eight years in prison for sexual assault. The plaintiff in the case claims that she did not know that her “boyfriend” of two years was actually a woman (Ms. Newland) and presses criminal charges of gender fraud and sexual assault.  The defendant claims that both parties were aware of her true gender, that the creation of the "boyfriend" character was a role-play and that the use of a strap-on dildo was always consensual.

Is it possible that the plaintiff could have been fooled for two years?  If so, how did the defendant pull off this elaborate con? Or did the plaintiff actually know the truth all along and consent to having penetrative sex with her female lover wearing a strap-on? Will an innocent woman’s life be ruined simply because the plaintiff can’t admit she is gay?  Who is telling the truth? These questions and many more are wrestled with as our brave young actors play out the many possible scenarios.  Based on public court records and witness testimony, Proboscis has devised a play that posits how any and all scenarios might have led these two would-be lovers to a legal confrontation, the outcome of which will certainly provide precedents for juries and judges for years to come.

We ultimately leave it to the spectator to sort through the issues of gender definition, homophobia, sexual consent, obsession, lies and deceit to find the core human emotions of love, guilt, attraction, humiliation and fear of loneliness that drive these two young women together and then apart. This entertaining and intriguing story was destined to become a stage drama and Proboscis is the perfect company adapt it!