Back To Artword Productions 2002-2003

In Artword main theatre,
Nov 13 to Dec 1, 2002

Alianak Productions and
Mainstage Productions present

The Death of Socrates

based on Plato's Apologia
Adapted and performed by
Nick Mancuso

Directed by Hrant Alianak
Set and lighting design
by Stephan Droege

Socrates' final speech to the Senate before his sentence of death. His defence of his right to free speech. Plato's famous Apologia is as rivetting and as relevant today as it was over 2400 years ago.

Ticket reservations:
416-504-PLAY (7529)
(Theatre Passe Muraille Box Office service)

Previews November 13 and 14 at 8 pm: $15
Runs November 15 to December 1: Tuesday to Thursday at 8 pm: $21
Friday and Saturday at 8 pm: $28
Sunday 2:30 pm: reserved tickets $15 (limited pwyc at the door)
Seniors, students and Equity members: $2 off

The performance of The Death of Socrates runs about 70 minutes with no intermission


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 23, 2002
Media Refer: Dianne Weinrib / Amy Stewart DW Communications
416-703-5479 Fax: 416-703-5465 E-mail: dwc@total.net

Alianak Theatre Productions and Mainstage Productions
present
The Death of Socrates
based on Plato's Apology
Adapted and performed by Nick Mancuso

Alianak Theatre Productions
(triple Dora winner for The Walls of Africa last season) and Mainstage Productions are proud to present noted veteran film and television star Nick Mancuso in the world premiere of The Death of Socrates, Mancuso's own adaptation of the famous Apology, a report of Socrates' final speech to the Senate at his trial, as remembered by his pupil Plato. Socrates' defense of his right to free thought and free speech is as riveting and as relevant today as it was over 2400 years ago. Directed by Alianak Theatre Productions' Artistic Director Hrant Alianak, The Death of Socrates previews from November 13, opens Friday November 15 and runs to December 1 at Artword Theatre, 75 Portland Street. Box Office: 416-504-PLAY (7529)

400 years before the birth of Christ, a man was executed for speaking the truth. A poor stonemason, a soldier, a father to three children, a husband; a human being whose only crime was the ability to think for himself. Socrates was condemned to death by a jury of 600 Athenians by only 30 votes for heresy against the city gods and the corruption of the youth. 2400 years later, his execution continues to reverberate in the history of the world. Mancuso's adaptation gives a fresh and modern insight into the first-ever recorded courtroom drama, a courtroom drama at its suspenseful finest.
"I became fascinated by the philosopher Socrates as a very young man, when as a student of sculpture I made a bust of him as I imagined him to be. A man who claimed to know nothing - a humble and simple stonemason whose mind shot a beam of white light into the darkness of the world. Who was he? What was he like? Why was he murdered by the enlightened Athenian State? These questions have haunted me; how human freedom and the ability to be a free-thinking, unfettered and fearless man of enquiry is at the core of the Living experience." ----Nick Mancuso
In The Death of Socrates we witness the stirring and moving presence of a great and human mind that revolutionized the way we think about the world. What is at stake here is not only whether a man will die, but whether human freedom can be destroyed by the dark forces of dishonesty and brutality. The Death of Socrates queries the very nature of what it means to be a human being. It is the story of whether the light of civilization can continue in a world that is swayed by propaganda, lies, and the bottom-line of unabashed greed.
Nick Mancuso is an internationally recognized face and name that spans a thirty-year career in film, television and on stage. A member of the original "underground theatre" of Toronto in the early 70's, his talent shot him to prominence in Hollywood, landing him his first leading role for Columbia Pictures, Nightwing, directed by Arthur Hiller. He has worked steadily since then, garnering along the way several prestigious acting awards including Italy's Polifemo F'argento at the Taormina Film Festival, the Canadian Genie for Ticket to Heaven and best actor award from the Houston Film Festival. In the mid 80's, Mr. Mancuso starred in his own prime time series for NBC, in the popular action show Stingray, which made him a household name. He later starred in another series, Matrix. Other credits include Heartbreakers, Wild Palms, Under Siege, Motherlode, Nightmagic and the tv series Call of the Wild. Although primarily known as an actor, Mr. Mancuso is also a writer and director. He recently directed True West at the Alumnae Theatre and was last seen on stage in Toronto in 1999 in his own play Hotel Praha, co-produced by Alianak Theatre Productions. Mancuso is soon to be seen starring in the film A Time Of Fear, to be released in the spring.
The Death of Socrates set and lighting design is by the acclaimed Droege Designs, music is composed by Dennis Patrick, sound design is by Terry Crack, sound effects is by Joe Mancuso (Dora Award for The Walls of Africa) and costume design is by Angela Thomas. The stage manager is Karen O'Brien.
Alianak Theatre Productions continues to push the envelope of innovative and thought-provoking theatre with an all-Canadian season. The rest of the line-up includes the world premiere of Adam Nashman's explosive new play Crimes in January 2003; and the remount of the triple Dora Award winning 2001 production of The Walls of Africa by Hrant Alianak in March, 2003.
The Death of Socrates, adapted and performed by Nick Mancuso, directed by Hrant Alianak, previews from Nov. 13, opens Friday, November 15 and runs to Dec. 1 at Artword Theatre, 75 Portland Street. Performances: Tuesday - Saturday at 8pm, Sunday at 2:30pm. Prices: Previews: $15; Tues.-Thurs. $21; Fri.-Sat. $28; Sun. mat: first 30 people are PAY-WHAT-YOU-CAN, the rest are $15. ($2 Discount for Students, seniors, Equity members) Box Office: 416-504-PLAY (7529).