Cast and Creatives Set For THE PENELOPIAD Revival at York Theatre Royal
The cast joins the previously announced Amelia Bullmore in the leading role of Penelope.
York Theatre Royal has announced the full cast and creative team for its UK revival of Margaret Atwood's The Penelopiad. Joining the previously announced Amelia Bullmore in the leading role of Penelope are Nell Baker (Laertes), Danielle Bird (Eurycleia), Olivia Burton-Laws (Naiad Mother), Faye Campbell (Melantho), Pena Iiyambo (Helen), Kat Johns-Burke (Antinous), Syakira Moeladi (Telemachus), and Charlie Russell (Odysseus). Directed by York Theatre Royal's Creative Director Juliet Forster, the production will open on 14 October, with previews from 10 October, and runs until 31 October 2026.
Adapted by Margaret Atwood from her critically acclaimed novella, The Penelopiad is a feminist retelling of Homer's The Odyssey, reimagining the epic through the eyes of Penelope and her chorus of maids.
Juliet Forster, Creative Director at York Theatre Royal said, “It has been such a joy to meet so many brilliant women over the last couple of months, and what a phenomenally talented cast and creative team we have lined up for The Penelopiad! It is clear just how strongly this story resonates with people today, and I am looking forward to a rehearsal room buzzing with excitement and creativity.
“Margaret Atwood's powerful script is so rich with wit and humour as she unveils a new feminist perspective on the familiar Odyssey myth. The show is interwoven with songs and exuberant movement and we hope to offer audiences an entirely different way of understanding the story of Penelope and her maids - and most importantly a great night out!”
Also announced, joining the previously announced Juliet Forster, is an all-female creative team comprising Sara Perks (Designer), Alexandra Stafford (Lighting Designer), Kate Marlais (Composer, Musical Director and Sound Designer), Michelle Edwards (Movement Director), and Ellie Collyer-Bristow CDG (Casting Director).
To ensure as many people as possible can enjoy the show, the first preview performance will be offered on a 'Pay What You Choose' basis, allowing audiences to pay as little or as much as they wish.
The Penelopiad premiered at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon, in July 2007 in a co-production between the Royal Shakespeare Company and Canada's National Arts Centre. This marks the first major UK revival of the show since that original staging.
About The Show
Margaret Atwood, author of the modern feminist classic The Handmaid's Tale, revisits Homer's The Odyssey in a powerful, irreverent and darkly humorous retelling that unpicks one of the oldest of myths.
Immortalised as the devoted and faithful wife to the glorious Odysseus, Penelope waits 20 years for her husband to return from the Trojan War, silently weaving and unpicking and weaving again. Now it's time to hear the story of those left behind...
Reimagining this ancient tale, Atwood gives voice to the silenced Penelope and her chorus of maids. Wandering the underworld Penelope spins a different kind of thread: her side of the story - a tale of injustice, betrayal and revenge.
Adapted for the stage by Booker Prize winner Margaret Atwood and interwoven with songs, York Theatre Royal's production will be directed by Juliet Forster (Little Women, Around The World In 80 Days-ish!) This exuberant and witty retelling questions the version of events we think we know and exposes the truth behind the myth...
