“Penelope” is a work of concert theatre. Re-imagining the story of The Odyssey through the eyes of the waiting wife Penelope, a five-piece band accompanies her as she moves through a day in her life in Ithaca, waiting for her husband to return from war. She drinks with the suitors, tells us the story of the Trojan War, weaves and un-weaves her tapestry, reminisces about her marriage, argues with the goddess Athena, and spends the night with a kind and mysterious traveler passing through Ithaca. All the while, she teeters on the precipice of whatever’s coming next. Through song, movement, and scenes with the band and audience, Penelope shares her isolation and devotion to the world she is waiting to return to her.

“Penelope” began as a concept album written by composer/lead artist Alex Bechtel during the first months of the pandemic. Quarantining in a different city from his romantic partner, Alex began to write songs and instrumental pieces from the point of view of Penelope as she waited to be reunited with Odysseus. As the piece grows away from its initial inspiration and takes roots in the story on which it is based, it retains a relevance to this moment in time. “Penelope” is a love letter to all those who feel isolated; to all those who have to wait for something they love, and find agency and power within that wait.