Photos: PENELOPE: AN EPIC NEW MUSICAL Makes Southeastern U.S. Premiere at Jobsite Theater

Jobsite Theater will conclude its 27th season with the southeastern U.S. premiere of Penelope: An Epic New Musical, beginning performances August 19 at the Straz Center's Shimberg Playhouse. Check out photos of the production.

The limited three-week engagement is already 75% sold prior to its first preview, including recently added performances. Opening night is Friday, August 21, with performances continuing through September 6.

Featuring a folk-inflected pop score and an onstage band of strings, piano and drums, Penelope reimagines Homer's The Odyssey from the perspective of the wife Odysseus left behind.

After waiting a decade for her husband to return from war, Penelope begins to question his absence and her own identity. Through the musical, she reflects on her loneliness, her missing son, unwanted suitors, the gods and her faith in her marriage before confronting who she is independent of her husband.

Jobsite Artistic Associate Colleen Cherry stars in the one-woman musical. Her previous credits with the company include Lizzie, Puffs and Shockheaded Peter.

Penelope: An Epic New Musical features music and lyrics by Alex Bechtel and a book by Bechtel, Grace McLean and Eva Steinmetz, based on writings in The Odyssey by Homer. The musical is a 2026 Richard Rodgers Award winner and has previously received productions at Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Signature Theatre in Washington, D.C. and Joe's Pub in New York City.

The Jobsite production is directed by Katherine Yacko, with music direction by Jeremy Douglass and choreography by Alexander Jones.

The production follows Jobsite's record-setting run of American Idiot and will close the company's 27th season.

Performance Schedule

Penelope: An Epic New Musical will play the Shimberg Playhouse at the Straz Center from August 19 through September 6, 2026. Preview performances will take place August 19 and 20 at 7:30 p.m., with opening night set for August 21. Regular performances are Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Due to demand, additional Saturday matinees have been added at 4 p.m.

The production runs approximately 80 minutes without an intermission. Tickets start at $50 and are available through the Straz Center box office.

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