SOCRATES NOW
EllinikoTheatro, in collaboration with the Athens University Museum proudly present:
SOCRATES NOW | ΣΩΚΡΑΤΗΣ ΤΩΡΑ
After over 250 performances in 14 countries,one of the most pertinent Ancient Greek texts, The Apology of Socrates, comes to life under the Acropolis in English. With immediacy and humor, Plato’s timeless classic offers a unique multilayered cultural experience and political challenge to foreign visitors of Athens, right next to the original site of Socrates’ historic trial.
Think. Question. Change.
When: June 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 & July 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 at 21:00
Where: University of Athens Museum (open air yard) 5 Tholou Street, Plaka – Athens (5’ walk from Μetro Monastiraki) - CHECK IT ON GOOGLEMAPS!
Εntrance fee: Adult 15 € | Student 10 € | Drinks included!
Performance in English with Greek surtitles
Book your seats – limited availability!
Box office: 39 Panepisthmiou Str, Athens
Phone orders: 210 7234567
Online: www.ticketservices.gr
Actor: Emmy Award Winner Yannis Simonides
Director: Broadway Veteran Loukas N. Skipitaris
Costume: Oscar and Tony Award Winner: Theoni Vahliotes Aldredge
Production: EllinikoTheatro
Take a seat in the court of ancient Athens as Socrates goes on trial for his life. Hear the philosopher face his accusers with his trademark wit, cutting logic, and the courage of his ideals. Consider his arguments on virtue, justice, politics, corruption, civic duty, love of life and hope in death, and draw your own judgment. Enjoy the post-performance opportunity to discuss with the actor the ramifications of your verdict.
Think. Question. Change.
The Apology of Socrates is a 80 minute solo performance which captures the essence of Socratic ethics in an accessible and engaging manner. The play features a delightful and quite humorous dramatization of the famous philosopher’s defense and his rebuttals to a guilty verdict and sentence to death. In the Apology, reported to us by Socrates’ pupil, Plato, the wise man of Athens firmly defends himself – rather than apologizing in the contemporary sense – against politically motivated accusations of not believing in the gods of the state, and of corrupting the Athenian youth. Yannis Simonides channels the eccentric yet magnetic personality of Socrates and offers a profoundly social, political, but above all human work which captivates the audience with the humor, immediacy and simplicity of its theatrical rendition.
The Apology of Socrates was produced by the Greek Theatre of New York in 2004 and has since been performed to great acclaim at the United Nations, the Athens Agora, the NBC Today Show, and in over 250 theatres, festivals, schools, universities and libraries across the US, Canada, Uruguay, Mexico, Greece, Cyprus, France, Luxembourg, Turkey, Ukraine, Bulgaria, the United Emirates and the UK. Leading universities including Yale, Columbia, Cornell, Michigan, Cambridge, Oxford and Edinburgh have combined the performance with interactive seminars on Socratic ethics and how they apply to our world today, led by Yannis Simonides.
Τhe 14 performances at the Athens University Museum, will be presented in English, in order to offer a multidimensional cultural experience to foreign audiences visiting Athens. Each performance will be followed by a 30-minute Q&A session on the immediate relevance of Socratic thought to the Greek and world crisis.
INTERNATIONAL REVIEWS
A multi-talented actor has set himself the decidedly idiosyncratic mission of providing the transcendent dramatic power of the ancient philosopher.
American Theatre, USA
Yannis Simonides is thrilling audiences in the UAE and around the world
Gulf News, Dubai
A superhuman effort on the part of the actor in a splendid coordination of text, movement and speech.
Luxembourger Wort, Luxembourg
Yannis Simonides fascinates Bulgaria! A real storm of applause for his inspiring performance
Sofia Times, Bulgaria
Restless, humorous, brilliant and fascinating!
Odyssey Magazine, USA
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