UATG AUDITIONS - The Penelopiad (SOLD OUT)

If there are no slots available, please join the waitlist

ABOUT THE PLAY

'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 become pushier 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.

ABOUT THE AUDITION

Genders given are of the characters. Non-binary identifying people are invited to audition for all roles.

There are three single-character roles (individual auditions)

PENELOPE (F, 40+)

ODYSSEUS (M, 30s-40s)

TELEMACHUS (M, 18-early 20s)
 

and THE MAIDS (group auditions)

The backbone of the play, Penelope's twelve Maids act as a Greek Chorus as they observe Penelope telling her side of the story from the afterlife and remind her of the role she played in their fate. As well as commenting on the play and interacting with Penelope directly as themselves, they act out the roles of all the characters in the story except for Odysseus and Telemachus.
Every actor cast will play a Maid as well as other characters, and will have both individual and collectively spoken dialogue. There will also be some chanting and unaccompanied singing to simple melodies.

Actors auditioning for Penelope who also wish to audition for the Maids ensemble must also attend a group audition.

Please click HERE to download full audition information including roles available

CONTENT WARNING

Please note the play contains themes of sexual assault.

Any questions about audition bookings, please email theatreguild@adelaide.edu.au.
Any questions about the play/production (and not for booking auditions), the director can be contacted at kristintelfer@hotmail.com.

Location

Little Theatre
The Cloisters, University of Adelaide, Adelaide SA 5005

Contact Details

Contact Event Organiser