First-look photos as major UK revival of Margaret Atwood’s Penelopiad comes to York
From left, Faye Campbell, Nell Baker, Kat Johns-Burke, Pena Liyambo, and Olivia Burton-Laws as they rehearse for the show. (Image: PAMELA RAITH)
First-look photos from rehearsals for the major UK revival of Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad in York have been revealed.
The images, taken in the rehearsal room, show the cast preparing for the production set to open at York Theatre Royal on October 10.
First-look photos from the rehearsal room of York Theatre Royal's production of The Penelopiad, by Margaret Atwood - from left, Olivia Burton-Laws, Kat Johns-Burke, and Pena Liyambo. (Image: PAMELA RAITH)
The show is a feminist retelling of Homer’s The Odyssey, adapted by Atwood, author of the modern feminist classic The Handmaid’s Tale, from her critically-acclaimed novella.
The Penelopiad reimagines the epic through the eyes of Penelope, the devoted and faithful wife to the glorious Odysseus who waits 20 years for her husband to return from the Trojan War, and her chorus of maids.
York Theatre Royal's creative director Juliet Forster is at the helm of The Penelopiad production. (Image: PAMELA RAITH)
From left, Olivia Burton-Laws, Charlie Russell, Syakira Moeladi, Nell Baker, Faye Campbell, Pena Liyambo and Danielle Bird in York Theatre Royal's production of The Penelopiad which takes to the stage in October. (Image: PAMELA RAITH)
Billed as powerful, irreverent and darkly humorous, this retelling of unpicks one of the oldest of myths.
Juliet Forster, York Theatre Royal’s creative director, is at the helm of the production.
She said: "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!”
Amelia Bullmore, pictured, plays Penelope. (Image: PAMELA RAITH)
The all-female creative team includes Sara Perks as designer, Alexandra Stafford as lighting designer, Kate Marlais as composer, musical director, and sound designer, Michelle Edwards as movement director, and Ellie Collyer-Bristow CDG as casting director.
Recommended reads:
The cast features Amelia Bullmore as Penelope, Nell Baker as Laertes, Danielle Bird as Eurycleia, Olivia Burton-Laws as Naiad Mother, Faye Campbell as Melantho, Pena Iiyambo as Helen, Kat Johns-Burke as Antinous, Syakira Moeladi as Telemachus, and Charlie Russell as Odysseus.
The Penelopiad first 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 its original staging.
From left, Faye Campbell, Nell Baker, Kat Johns-Burke, Pena Liyambo, and Olivia Burton-Laws as they rehearse for the show. (Image: PAMELA RAITH)
To celebrate the revival, York Theatre Royal is collaborating with York Art Gallery for a special event on Monday, October 26.
Attendees will enjoy an exclusive tour of York Art Gallery’s new exhibition, Turner, Wedgwood & Beyond: Inspired by Flaxman, with the gallery’s senior curator, Dr Beatrice Bertram.
Following the tour, guests will head to York Theatre Royal for the 6.30 pm performance of The Penelopiad.
The tour starts at 5 pm and will last about one hour, concluding at 6pm.
The event costs £57 per person, which includes both the exhibition tour and the top-price ticket to watch the performance of The Penelopiad.
The Penelopiad runs from October 10 to October 31.
Forster's direction, coupled with Atwood’s adaptation, aims to question the version of events known to the audience and expose the truth behind the myth.