The Penelopiad

Fri, 23 May 2025 - Sun, 1 June 2025 (7:30 pm - 9:30 pm)Australia/Adelaide

Little Theatre
10 Victoria Drive, Adelaide SA, Australia

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Description

The Penelopiad
By Margaret Atwood

Presented by The University of Adelaide Theatre Guild
An amateur production by arrangement with Curtis Brown Group

Directed by Kristin Telfer
Featuring original music by Kristin Stefanoff

“Didn’t I wait, and wait, and wait, despite the temptation – almost the compulsion – to do otherwise? And yet what have I amounted to, now the official version has gained ground? An edifying legend.”

Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad is an adaptation of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, told from the perspective of Odysseus’ wife Penelope.

Penelope tells her story from the afterlife, from her miraculous birth and childhood as the daughter of a king and a water nymph to her marriage to the renowned and wily Odysseus.Penelope’s quiet life shatters when her cousin Helen runs off with a foreign prince, sparking war. Odysseus departs, leaving Penelope alone to navigate a world of uncertainty.

As years pass, suitors descend, eager for her wealth and hand. With few options, she turns to her loyal maids, struggling to hold them at bay — waiting for a husband who may never return.

These Maids are also with Penelope in the afterlife, to observe and participate in her narration of the events of her life… and remind her of the role she played in the tragic ending to theirs.

Content Warning: stylised sexual violence and mild coarse language

Performances: 23 May – 1 June including 4 matinees and 1 twilight performance with student Q&A.

Event Details

Friday 23 May at 7:30pm
Saturday 24 May at 3pm
Sunday 25 May at 3pm
Wednesday 28 May at 6:30pm (with post-show Q&A)
Thursday 29 May at 7:30pm
Friday 30 May at 7:30pm
Saturday 31 May at 3pm
Sunday 1 June at 3pm

Little Theatre The Cloisters, Victoria Drive, University of Adelaide