Dance icon Veronica Tennant and playwright Djanet Sears have joined the creative team for The Penelopiad, the theatrical production that is a joint project of the National Arts Centre in Ottawa and the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon.

The all-female cast of the musical show, featuring seven Canadian actresses and six from the U.K., was announced Friday.

Veronica Tennant, left, shown receiving the Order of Canada in 2004 from Gov. Gen. Adrienne Clarkson, is to be movement director for The Penelopiad.
(Johnathan Hayward/Canadian Press)

Penny Downie, an Australian actress who has appeared frequently on the Royal Shakespeare stage and is known for her TV roles on series such as Inspector Morse, will play Penelope.

The other U.K. actresses are Mojisola Adebayo, Frances Ashman, Derbhle Crotty, Pauline Hutton and Sarah Malin, all currently part of the Royal Shakespeare Company and starring in its productions of Macbeth and Macbett.

The Canadians include Philippa Domville, who was recently in Lucy at Canadian Stage in Toronto, and Kate Hennig, who starred in The Danish Play at Nightwood Theatre in Toronto.

Other Canadian actresses, cast as Penelope's hanged maids, are Lisa Karen Cox, Corinne Koslo, Pamela Matthews, Kelly McIntosh and Jenny Young.

Tennant, former principal dancer at the National Ballet of Canada, will be movement director for the play, which tells the story of what really happened when Odysseus returned from the war to his wife Penelope.

Margaret Atwood has written the script, which features Penelope's 12 hanged maids singing and dancing from their place in Hades.

It's based on her book, The Penelopiad: The Myth of Penelope and Odysseus, a reinterpretation of the Greek myth.

Bonne Beecher, a Dora Award-winning designer who has worked on more than 100 Canadian productions, will be in charge of lighting.

Sears, author of Harlem Duet, which played at Canada's Stratford Festival last year, has been invited to join the company as a creative fellow.

Josette Bushell-Mingo, a British-born actress and equality activist who works out of Sweden, is directing.

The NAC regards the co-production as a unique opportunity to showcase Canadian talent on the world stage.

The Penelopiad begins previews July 27 in Stratford-upon-Avon and will open in Ottawa in September.