Sunday, July 08, 2012
Theatre takes Socrates's teachings on tour of crisis-hit Greece
guardian.co.uk: Amid the debt crisis, many Greeks have come to despise their leaders, mistrust their media and resent the stern teachings of Brussels bureaucrats. Now some are turning to a rather different kind of wise man for help: an Athenian who doled out self-help tips while railing against the hypocrisies of society and the state – and whose lessons live on more than 2,400 years after his death.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
It looks like the best way to inspire people is to go way back to universal truths. Reminding people of what they know deep down, but don't always see, can be a humbling thought provoking experience. Getting some nationalism going while keeping it humble definitely seems like the way to go.
I think this is perhaps one of the best answers to the question of why theatre is important. It can, as can be seen clearly here, be used to do things that really have the potential to effect change in a very singular way. Theatre has the ability to bring to its audience a message, in this case one that, as stated in the article, has relevence now though Socrates, the creator, lived long ago. The message presented by Simonides is one that asks people to stop and to really think about themselves and about the world, something that is especially important in troubled times.
Theater is not only a form of entertainment, but also a tool in which we can learn and reflect upon subjects we may not have wanted to think about. In school we learn to gather knowledge and then come to conclusion. Simonides is calling upon the Greeks to do the same with Socrates Now by asking them to reflect upon their mistakes, while teaching them of ways to combat future ones. I am interested and excited to see whether or not Simonide’s Socrates Now will be a success because of Simonides determination to bring about change with theater.
Post a Comment