Ohio University’s Division of Theater is presenting The Penelopiad as the second main stage production of the year. The play will run Wednesday through Saturday and Oct. 21-24 at 8 p.m. in the Forum Theater in the Radio-Television Building.
Margaret Atwood said of The Penelopiad that the play is an echo of an echo of an echo. Keeping in this vein, David Haugen said he embarked on the production of Ohio University’s second mainstage production with no strong original image, but with the goal of creating a collaborative environment in which his designers and actresses could explore their crafts.
“In the tradition of myth and storytelling, things get changed,” Haugen, the director of the play, said.
The play reimagines the classic mythology of The Iliad and The Odyssey in the perspective of Penelope, Odysseus’ wife. Penelope addresses the audience, telling her side of a story famous for the prominence of its male characters. The play will run Wednesday through Saturday and Oct. 21-24 at 8 p.m. in the Forum Theater in the Radio-Television Building.
The play also explores the story of Penelope’s 12 maids who are hanged by Odysseus. Atwood was struck by the disposable nature of the maids, Haugen said. The play becomes a battle of perspectives as Penelope attempts to tell her story from Hades while the maids interfere.
“One of the things (Atwood) likes to do is give women a voice,” Haugen, associate professor of performance, said.
Guest artist Keira Hambrick was brought in to teach aerial silks for the scene in which the maids are hanged. While she primarily taught the fundamental skills, such as wraps, locks and static poses, Hambrick worked closely with choreographer Madeleine Scott, a professor emerita. Hambrick said she believes silks offer drama and flexibility in how the maids portray their deaths.
“If there is something gorgeous about (the hanging), even if it is brutal, … maybe it will have more of an impact on you,” said Haugen.
Luli Teruel Gomez, a senior studying theater performance, sees her character Penelope as a strong, intelligent and complex woman.
In keeping with the female perspective, Haugen chose an all female cast.
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“We have no problem finding plays for men, but finding plays with women, especially really great roles is a little harder to come by,” Haugen said.
Constance Sabo, a senior studying theater performance, plays Odysseus. Sabo’s largest challenge, she said, was in her portrayal of a male character. Avoiding a stereotypical approach in favor of a natural one, she observed male behavior in her everyday life to prepare.
“Playing a man is connecting myself a lot more to my masculinity,” Sabo said.
With an inclusion of a rape scene, Haugen said the play is brutal. The women have to put themselves in the shoes of those men, which he said he believes is difficult.
The play also includes brief moments where two actors are topless on stage, though one is during a moment of gentleness and the other is during the rape scene.
“The act of disrobing live, on stage is a strong statement,” Haugen said in an email. “I think having it will bring our point to the audience with a stronger impact than if there were no nudity.”
Sweeping, monochromatic fabric creates the atmosphere in Hades, employing a creative depiction of the water imagery throughout the play.
After extensive research into the qualities of the five rivers of Hades, Megan Culley, the sound designer of the play, matched sounds to each. Different areas of the theater play the sound for one river and in the middle they meet.
“We had this incredible collaboration of all of us trying to work to put this together and that’s always a learning experience,” Haugen said. “It’s great because I think I’m learning from it just as much as the students are.”
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