Details

As portrayed in Homer's Odyssey, Penelope - wife of Odysseus and cousin of the beautiful Helen of Troy - has become a symbol of wifely duty and devotion, enduring twenty years of waiting when her husband goes off to fight in the Trojan War. As she fends off the attentions of a hundred greedy suitors, travelling minstrels regale her with news of Odysseus' epic adventures around the Mediterranean - slaying monsters and grappling with amorous goddesses. When Odysseus finally comes home, he kills her suitors and then, in an act that served as little more than a footnote in Homer's original story, inexplicably hangs Penelope's twelve beloved maids. Now, Penelope and her chorus of wronged maids get the chance to tell their side of the story, through song, dance and storytelling in a new stage version by Margaret Atwood of her own wry, witty and wise novel. World Premiere

Cast/Performers

Penny Downie (Penelope), Mojisola Adebayo, Frances Ashman, Derbhle Crotty, Pauline Hutton, Sarah Malin, Lisa Karen Cox, Philippa Domville, Kate Hennig, Corinne Koslo, Pamela Matthews, Kelly McIntosh, Jenny Young

Creatives/Company

Author: Margaret Atwood (based on the book The Penelopaid by Margeret Atwood)
Producer(s): Royal Shakespeare Theatre, National Arts Centre Canada
Director: Josette Bushell-Mingo
Design: Rosa Maggiore
Lighting: Bonnie Beecher
Choreographer: Veronica Tennant
Music: Warren Wills