In the Penal Colony is a chamber opera in one act and 16 scenes composed by Philip Glass to an English-language libretto by Rudy Wurlitzer.

He and his long-time collaborator and former wife JoAnne Akalaitis worked on the idea on and off for three years before receiving a commission from ACT Theatre in Seattle.

Akalaitis worked closely with the librettist, Rudy Wurlitzer, in adapting the story for the musical stage and directed the premiere production.

In the original production, they appear as musicians from the penal colony where the story takes place and are costumed variously as soldiers and civilians.

[3] The German premiere was produced in November 2002 by the Berliner Kammeroper, directed by Kay Kuntze [de], conducted by Peter Aderhold.

[8] It was given three performances in May 2011 at the Theater der Künste in Zürich as part of the Philip Glass Festival and had its Australian premiere at the National Institute of Dramatic Art's Parade Playhouse in Sydney on April 7, 2012.

[11] After the original Akalaitis production performed in Seattle, Chicago and New York City, subsequent ones have varied the number of non-speaking roles and the placement of the string ensemble.

[12] The Australian production directed by Imara Savage placed the string players off-stage and set the action in a hospital-like corridor.

"[3] When the officer realizes that the visitor will not actively support him, he frees the condemned prisoner from the machine and climbs onto it himself, seeking the redemption of a slow and painful death.