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The Penelopiad
22 June @ 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Written by: Margaret Atwood
Directed by: Kristen Telfer
Synopsis: “The Penelopiad” by Margaret Atwood is an adaptation of Homer’s “Iliad” and “Odyssey”, told from the perspective of Odysseus’ wife Penelope.
Long after the events of the story are over, Penelope tells the audience 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. The complacent idyll of Penelope’s life as a married noblewoman is shattered when news arrives that her sister Helen has absconded from her own marriage and run off with a young prince from an enemy state. Odysseus leaves his wife and young son to do his duty, and Penelope’s ordeal begins.
After Troy is sacked, Odysseus fails to return home. As the years pass, Penelope finds herself surrounded by a crowd of would-be suitors, eager to lay claim to the widow and her considerable wealth, whose encroachments on her hospitality becomepushier by the day. Greatly restricted in her means to deal with this threat, Penelope relies on the support of her loyal maids in her bid to ward off the unwanted attentions until her husband returns. But these same 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.
Character Descriptions:
Roles: Penelope, Telemachus, Odysseus, and twelve Maids
Gender: Undefined Stage Age: 18+
Genders given are of the characters. Non-binary identifying people are invited to audition for all roles.
PENELOPE (F, 40+) ODYSSEUS (M, 30s-40s) TELEMACHUS (M, 18-early 20s) THE MAIDS MELANTHO (F) Auditions are booked via https://www.trybooking.com/CSLKH Actors auditioning for Penelope who also wish to audition for the Maids ensemble must also attend one of the group auditions. Actors auditioning for Penelope, Telemachus and Odysseus are requested to prepare a short (no more than 3 minutes) monologue of their choosing they feel relates well to the character. Scenes from the play are provided to familiarise yourself with ahead of time. You may be asked to read from any or all of them, or possibly other scenes. You do NOT need to learn these scenes by heart. Ability to work well as an ensemble is integral to the roles of the Maids. These auditions will therefore be held in groups. As well as reading scenes from the play, there will be some improvisation exercises. We want to see not just your abilities as individual performers, but ability to collaborate, support and play with others in a scene. Auditions for the Maids will be in 45-minute blocks and individual auditions (15 minutes) can be booked close to these group sessions. |