The Apology of Socrates

www.ellinikotheatro.org presentsThe Apology of Socrates An international tour de force of Platos timeless classic

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 convictions.Consider his arguments on virtue, justice,politics, civic duty, love of life and hope indeath, and draw your own judgement. Enjoy the post-performance opportunity to discuss with the actor the ramifications of your verdict.

THE PERFORMANCEThe Apology of Socrates is a delightful and quite humorous dramatization of the famousphilosopher’s defence and his rebuttals to a guilty verdict and sentence to death. In the Apology,reported to us by Socrates’ disciple, Plato, the wise man of Athens firmly and eloquently defendshimself – rather than apologizing in the contemporary sense – against politically motivatedaccusations 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 aprofoundly social, political, but above all human work which captivates the audience with thehumour, immediacy and simplicity of its theatrical rendition.

GLOBAL REACHThe Apology of Socrates premiered in New York in 2004 and has since been performed to greatacclaim in over 250 theatres, festivals, companies, communities, public spaces, schools,libraries and universities across… Canada UK Belgium Luxembourg France Bulgaria Ukraine USA Greece Cyprus Turkey Mexico United Arab Emirates Uruguay Actor: Emmy Award winner Yannis Simonides Director: Broadway veteran Lucas Skipitaris Costume Designer: Oscar and Tony award winner Theoni Vahliotes-Aldredge Original Music: Caryn Heilman

INTERNATIONAL REVIEWS “Socrates unbound! One uniquely obsessed and multi- talented actor has set himself the decidedly idiosyncratic mission of proving the transcendent dramatic power of the ancient philosopher” American Theatre, USALuxembourger Wort, Luxembourg “Simonides thrilling audiences“A performance full of in Sharjah and around thehumanity, humor, world”simplicity, which surprises Gulf News, Dubaiwith its immediacy and itsverities”Ethnos, Greece Sophisticated, jazzy mind stimulation! Lviv University News, Ukraine“Restless, humorous,brilliant and fascinating”Odyssey Magazine, USA Pankoaki, Greece“The Apology of Socrates fascinates Bulgaria:in a packed theatre, Sofia’s audiences awarded YannisSimonides with a real storm of applause for his inspiring A fascinating, powerful performance – aperformance” unique opportunity for our students!Sofia Times, Bulgaria Brussels International School News, Belgium

RELEVANCEAt a time when a great part of the world is in profound social, political and financial crisis, at a time when thevery foundations of contemporary society are challenged on a global level, Socrates’ thought appears morepertinent and patently applicable than ever. Beyond the potential of this project as an invaluable tool forintercultural dialogue, The Apology of Socrates offers a unique opportunity for the audiences of the world toengage their demons fearlessly and creatively in a life-changing yet highly entertaining theatrical exercise.

INTERACTIVE ETHICS SEMINARSCorporate companies, world-class universities including Yale, Columbia, Cornell,Michigan, Cambridge, and Oxford and international schools have combined theperformance with 30 to 90-minute interactive seminars led by experiencedactor/mentor Yannis Simonides himself:We by no means offer a lecture ; it is all about putting the Socratic method (what he called ‘midwifery’ ) into practice: asking questions, debating, arguing. The session usually begins with an informal Q & A session on the play which inevitably leads to zealous debates amongst participants of all ages and backgrounds on issues of ethics, citizenship, truth, justice and the relevance of Socrates thought in contemporary society. Each session is tailored according to each target audiences’ preferences and interests.

MULTILINGUAL PRODUCTION BelgiumThe performance is given in English or Modern Greek but can be presented inany country using an ingenious on-stage PowerPoint projection of the famoustext in the language of the particular audience. The Apology of Socrates hasbeen thus already presented in Spanish, French, Bulgarian and Russian whiletranslations of the text in Turkish, German, Polish, Italian, Chinese and Arabicare currently being developed. Additional translations may be created uponrequest. Uruguay Bulgaria Ukraine Greece

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTSThe production is simple and flexible enough to adapt to all possiblespaces and has been performed with equal success in diverse venues,from classrooms and public squares to 2000 seats theatres andarchaeological sites. The list below is indicative - exact light and soundqueues are determined during technical rehearsal, on the day before eachperformance. A theatre or facility with adequate theatrical lighting Two technicians (sound and lights) A reliable sound system connected to CD player, MiniDisc or laptop, and a lavaliere (lapel) microphone One plain wooden table and three wooden chairs of the same style and hue A platform (min. dimensions 2m x1m x 30cm) For surtitles (if needed): a large screen (min. 3m width x 2m height) in the middle or at the back of the stage, ideally starting at 2m (above artist) upwards. A reliable projector connected to our laptops in tech booth and a bilingual volunteer to achieve perfect coordination of text and action on stage.

BOOKINGS In 2012-2013, The Apology of Socrates will continue its world tour across Europe, the USA, Canada, South America, the Middle East, Russia, China and Australia. The more performances are scheduled in a country/region/city the lower the cost for each partner organization. For bookings and further information please contact: Stephania Xydia Managing Director +30 6934438748 +30 210 7213772 info@ellinikotheatro.org

THE PROTAGONIST Yannis Simonides was born in Constantinople and raised in Athens, where he graduate with honors from Athens College. He received a BA in Drama and Literature from Yale University and a MFA in Acting from the Yale School of Drama. He has served as professor and chair of the NYU Tisch School of the Arts Drama Department, as executive producer of Greek Orthodox Telecommunications (GOTelecom), and as executive director of Hellenic Public Radio, COSMOS FM, in New York. He is the founder and director of the Greek Theater of NewYork, which has been in continuous operation for 32 years. His performance work includes plays by Euripides,Sophocles, Aristophanes, Shakespeare, Brecht and others, along with solo and ensemble pieces based on the writingsof Aristotle, Cavafy, Theodorakis, Makriyannis and Gogol. He has received the support of the National Endowment forthe Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, the Greek Ministries of Education, Culture and Foreign Affairs, thePrefectures of Athens, Piraeus and Cyclades, the Onassis, Kostopoulos, Niarchos, Tsakos and Leventis Foundations,IBM, Time Warner and the Mobil Foundation. He has narrated the PBS television specials Visions of Greece and Returnto the Homeland, and received an Emmy award for his documentary A Light Still Bright . He co-produced the MikisTheodorakis 75th Birthday Celebration at Lincoln Center with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, and he recently wroteand directed Smyrne, a docudrama on the post WWI Asia Minor catastrophes. He has performed the Apology ofSocrates, in Greek and English in over 250 venues around the world and has led interactive ethics seminars in themost renowned schools and universities., as well as corporate companies. As a founding member of The Readers ofHomer (www.thereadersofhomer.org) he has helped stage marathon audience-participation Readings-Celebrations ofthe Iliad and Odyssey in archaeological sites of Greece, at the Library of Alexandria, the Dahesh Museum and the92nd Street Y in New York, and the Getty Villa in LA. In 2009 Yannis Simonides was honored by the city of Athensas Ambassador of Hellenism for his lifelong cultural and educational service worldwide.

THE ORGANIZATIONElliniko Theatro is an international non-profit organisation aimed at promoting Hellenic arts andculture worldwide. Since 1979 and with New York as its initial base, our organization seeks to bringclassical, medieval and contemporary Hellenic literature and the performing arts beyond nationalboundaries and traditional theatre spaces, into schools, universities, festivals, companies,communities and public spaces around the world. Minimal sets and casts and bi-lingualproductions—often enhanced by inventive projections of surtitles in several languages and post-performance discussion seminars with audiences—make our work globally accessible and attractiveto a wide range of hosts and sponsors.At the heart of our work is a profound belief in the diachronic and universal value of select Greektexts and plays and the conviction that theatre is a unique means of expression, communication andlearning, as well as an invaluable instrument for creative initiatives that aim to enhance socialcohesion and economic development. Today, with a second base in Athens, ‘the most accomplishedtheatre of the Greek Diaspora’ (Melina Mercouri,1982) aims to develop into an innovative carrier ofcultural diplomacy, expanding the temporal, spatial and social boundaries of Greek Theatre. More bios, history & info at www.ellinikotheatro.org

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The Apology of Socrates

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