The Newest Awesome by Laura

We’re bursting at the seams to share the news about our newest project, PENELOPE. We’ve assembled a team of awesome artists who’re starting with some awesome source material and awesome influences to create an awesome show. Awesomely.

AWESOME SOURCE MATERIAL

If he pulls a bow like he swings a punch, this Odysseus is in for some trouble...

The Odyssey by Homer is one of the two oldest works of literature in the Western canon, and everyone from Dante Alighieri to Ezra Pound to James Joyce to Margaret Atwood has adapted the material. The movies Big Fish and O, Brother, Where Art Thou?  are based on The Odyssey, too. So, it’s kind of a big deal.

AWESOME INFLUENCES

AWESOME TEAM OF ARTISTS

We are interested in turning some of the patriarchal notions of the story on their heads, and focusing on Penelope, Odysseus's wife. We’re especially interested in some of the alternate versions of the story (instead of the Homeric version - gasp!), in which Penelope maybe isn’t quite so faithful. And thinking of irreverent, independent women led us to thinking about comedic greats like Tina Fey, Amy Schumer, and more. (if you haven’t seen Last F*ckable Day, you really should).

So in order to help us stir this pot, we’ve assembled these amazing folks:
Rachel Austin (House Party workshop), Kathryn Fumie (The Ravagers, Care Enough, Emma Woodhouse is Not a Bitch, These Are the Men workshop), Alana Horton (These Are the Men), Jami Jerome (Night of New Works, The Ravagers), Daniel Ian Joeck (The Awakening, These Are the Men), Anni Jordan-Amberg (Vinland workshop), Mike Ooms (Rain Follows the Plow, These Are the Men), and SU newbies Anthony Michael, Tara Lucchino, and Kory Pullam. SU’s own Lisa will be co-writing/co-directing for the first time with Laura, Blake is going to dramaturg from afar, and Hannah is production managing us ALL THE WAY TO GREATNESS.

Laura, Lisa, and Hannah. Three sirens ready to begin their own odyssey!

AWESOME SHOW

Here’s the blurb we’ve prepped to help get us started:
Penelope's husband Odysseus is famously the slowest, taking over 10 years to wind his way home post-Trojan War, what with storms, a cyclops, sirens, and more. But Penny doesn't just sit on her hands for a decade. Savage Umbrella's spin on the classic will find more than matronly virtue in the enigmatic best-wife-ever. Deception, suitors, sex, contests, bows and arrows, murder, and yarn. Well. Probably not that much yarn. PENELOPE.

JOIN IN THE AWESOME YOURSELF

The team will get the story started, but it won’t be complete without YOU! Savage Umbrella’s workshops are based all around the public presentations - we show the material we’ve created thus far, and then we ask you, our lovely audiences, to give us feedback. What did you like? What did you dislike? What do you want to happen next? It’s the grassroots theatre making that we love, love, love to do, and we love to do it with you.

Put July 24 & 25 on your calendars now, and we’ll see you at SPACE to make some theatre together!