1783: The first hot air balloon flight in France. The nation goes insane with Balloonomania.

1793: The craze deflates. Desperate aeronaut Jean-Pierre Blanchard needs a new gimmick for his act. What about a girl? Enter Sophie Armant.

Sophie’s novelty as a female flier proves irresistible. The Blanchards become instant celebrities—until Jean-Pierre drops dead, leaving Sophie penniless.

Sophie's move? Double down. She goes solo with stunts so dangerous Napoleon and Louis XVIII both want front-row seats.

She's absolutely thriving—until 1819, when a pyrotechnic stunt turns her balloon into a fireball mid-flight.

Her gravestone? "A victim of her art and intrepidity.”

Translation: She went out in a blaze of glory, on her own terms. Iconic.

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Part of what draws me to Sophie is how radically she reframes what a woman's life can look like. She wasn't defined by romance, domesticity, or anyone else's expectations of her. She was defined by her obsession, her courage, and her work.

I don't often see that version of womanhood reflected onstage. I wanted to create a story where a woman's deepest commitment is to her craft, and where that isn't treated as something she has to outgrow or sacrifice in order to become complete.