The Penelopiad, by Margaret Atwood

The Penelopiad

Written by Margaret Atwood
Directed by Sara Rodriguez

 

February 5 - 9, 2020

Claire Trevor Theatre

Margaret Atwood retells Homer’s classic "The Odyssey" from Penelope’s perspective. As Odysseus is indefinitely gone to fight in the infamous Trojan Wars, his wife patiently waits for him in the company of her loyal maids while raising a child and cleverly avoiding suitors knocking at her door. "The Penelopiad" takes the audience on an epic journey from Penelope’s birth in Sparta, to her arranged marriage to Odysseus, her journey to Ithaca, her relationship with Helen, the birth of her son, and her survival. All this os told posthumously by Penelope herself.

From the author of "The Handmaid's Tale"

Performances
Evening: Feb. 5 at 7:30 p.m.
Evenings: Feb. 6, 7, 8 at 8:00 p.m.
Matinees: Feb. 8, 9* at 2:00 p.m.

*Ticketholders: Please join us for a post-performance TalkBack with the creative team and cast, after the matinee on Sunday, February 9.

This event contains:
* adult content - sexual violence - trigger warning
* fog / haze
* strobe / flashing lights

Tickets
General admission: $18
Seniors, Groups 10+, UCI Faculty & Staff: $15
Arts Subscribers: $14
UCI Students & Children under 17: $11

UCI Drama - 2019/20 Season
Theme: "Women & Co."
A Centennial Celebration of a Woman's Right to Vote


With Sara Rodriguez preparing to direct The Penelopiad, she searched high and low for a podcast that would get the audience interested in, excited about, and knowledgeable about The Odyssey. Not finding one that quite fit the bill, she decided to create one, along with Darby Vickers, a PhD student in Philosophy. They have written and produced a new, short-form podcast. In three episodes, they cover a brief summary of the poem, followed by interviews with a Classics and Theatre scholars, discussing themes, contemporary views, and the popular history of this epic. 

We are so excited to share that podcast: Odyssey & Chill - now live and ready for download!

You listen live on our website here:

https://sites.uci.edu/odysseyandchill/

Or from the following podcast services:

Google Play
SoundCloud
Sticher
iTunes

In addition, accessibility transcriptions will soon be available for everyone to enjoy the podcast.
We hope you enjoy! 

Please "like" us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram

https://www.facebook.com/odysseyandchill/
Instagram @odysseyandchill

And check out our page on Illuminations

Interview Guests:
Dr. Alex Purves, Classics Professor, UCLA
Annie Loui, Artistic Director of CounterBalance Theatre
Dr. Andromache Karanika, Associate Professor of Classics, UCI

Credits
Sara Rodriguez & Darby Vickers, Creators and Hosts
JJ Margolis and Meghan Roche, Sound Editors 
Josh Feder, Marketing & Communications Manager
Josh Price, Assistant Sound Engineer

Luke Shepherd, Theme Composer
Nick Adams, Logo Art
Amy Shine, Creative Consultant
Vinnie Olivieri, Faculty Mentor

Dates: 
Wednesday Feb 5, 2020, 7:30 pm
Thursday Feb 6, 2020, 8:00 pm
Friday Feb 7, 2020, 8:00 pm
Saturday Feb 8, 2020, 2:00 pm
Saturday Feb 8, 2020, 8:00 pm
Sunday Feb 9, 2020, 2:00 pm