The town of Mérida in Extremadura is famous for its surviving Roman architecture, most notably its Roman theatre. Each summer, the theatre presents a festival of classical works. Most of the plays are performed at night to avoid the oppressive heat of the day (the Badajoz province often sees the hottest of Spain's summer weather). Even though many performances start as late as 23h00, it is not unusual for the temperature to remain between 30C and 35C.

"Odiseo and Penélope" forms part of the 2006 programme, a 'minimalist adaptation' of Homer's Odyssey by the leading Peruvian writer (and former Presidential candidate), Mario Vargas Llosa. Indeed, Vargas Llosa makes his acting debut in the play as Odiseo where he is joined by Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, the Spanish-Italian actress, as Penélope. They are the play's only protagonists.

The photograph shows Penélope entering the stage in a bridal gown. In keeping with the minimalism of the play, I chose to focus only on the actress.