Photos: THE PENELOPIAD in Rehearsal at York Theatre Royal

All new rehearsal photos have been released for the major UK revival of Margaret Atwood's The Penelopiad, starring Amelia Bullmore (best known for her roles in Riot Women, Scott & Bailey, and Coronation Street). The production will open on 14 October, with previews from 10 October, and runs until 31 October at York Theatre Royal. Check out photos below!

Joining 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.

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...