Amelia Bullmore leads Atwood's Penelopiad in first major UK revival at York
Penelope finally gets to answer back. Margaret Atwood's The Penelopiad opened at York Theatre Royal on 14 October 2026.
The run is short. Previews began on 10 October, and the production closes on 31 October, according to dates published by York Theatre Royal. It is a revival, meaning a new staging of a play first seen years ago. This is the first major UK revival since the original production, as reported by Theatre Weekly.
Amelia Bullmore leads the company as Penelope. Charlie Russell plays Odysseus, her long-absent husband. Pena Iiyambo plays Helen of Troy.
The production is directed by Juliet Forster. It uses an all-female cast and creative team, as described by WhatsOnStage. That choice shapes the whole evening. Women play every part, including the male heroes.
The story flips a familiar tale. Atwood adapted her own 2005 novella for the stage. The play is a feminist retelling of The Odyssey, told from Penelope's perspective while she waits in Ithaca.
Many viewers will know Atwood as the author of The Handmaid's Tale. The Penelopiad asks a simpler question. What did the wife left behind see, hear and survive?
The staging leans into that idea. Sara Perks designed a white marble set. Kate Marlais composed music for the production.
Expect a long night. The 2007 debut co-production between the Royal Shakespeare Company and Canada's National Arts Centre ran 140 minutes. Forster's York version approaches two and a half hours.
What makes this stand out is scale and intent. A regional house is giving a big, all-women ensemble the main stage for three weeks in October.
York Theatre Royal advises the show includes mature themes. Its content note lists stylised representation of sexual assault, violence, war, slavery and hangings.
