Theatrical Reviews
"Restless, humorous, brilliant and fascinating."
Odyssey Magazine
"Spellbinding from the opening scene."
The National Herald
"Yannis Simonides thrilled the audience."
The Hellenic Times
"A superhuman effort on the part of the actor in a splendid coordination of text, movement and speech."
Luxembourg Kultur
"Proving the transcendent dramatic power not of any play or playwright but rather of an ancient philosopher."
American Theatre
"Astonishing performance... moved the audience to give a five minute standing ovation"
Kea Monthly, Cyclades, Greece
Academic Reviews
"This superb production brings home to the entire audience what Socrates --and philosophy--is all about, in a way that no written commentary could ever do. Having seen Socrates interact with his listeners one understands why Plato adopted the format he did for his own philosophical works. He was his master's student."
Fred Purnell, Professor of Philosophy, Queens College, NY
"Mr. Simonides was riveting as Socrates. He demonstrated how engaging and how maddening Socarates could be. He gave life to the dilemma of the public intellectual condemned for his activity. The students gave him a standing ovation. The faculty delighted... Students and faculty alike enjoyed the satisfaction of intellectual engagement with Plato's text and the issues of justice and truth that it raised. Mr. Simonides' acting choices compelled discussion about the historical Socrates as well as about Plato's agenda... We reaped many benefits from sponsoring Mr. Simonides' project at Columbia. We will certainly invite him to return."
Deborah Martinson, Associate Dean of the Center for Columbia Core Curriculum
"The performance was riveting, and despite the odds, attracted very many students, and professional ancient philosophy specialists... This made for an excellent discussion between the audience and Mr. Simonides, following the performance. The discussion centred on his interpretation of Socrates' persona, as depicted in his impersonation of Socrates, and on the role of the Apology in Plato's thought. It is rare for a theatrical performance to be as stimulating, also to specialists, as Simonides' Apology was, and I am delighted that the Edinburgh classical community responded with such interest to it."
Theodore Scaltas, Chair of Ancient Philosophy, University of Edinburgh
"Our audience was deeply moved by your performance and our program of events was enhanced by arguably the best performance it has ever hosted since its inauguration. Its appeal to the audience fulfilled our mission, which is to focus, develop, and sustain research, teaching, and public education on Hellenism, with particular emphasis on the impact of ancient, medieval, and modern Hellenic civilization on contemporary society." Vassiliki Rapti, The Alexander S. Onassis Public Benfit Foundation, Lecturer in Modern Greek Studies
"The idea was bold... the actor's interpretation of Socrates' Apology had many virtues: clarity, modesty, and grace. Yanni Simonides' performance under the direction of Loukas Skipitaris - was unassuming and flawless. Bravo!"
Ekaterini Myrivili, Director, Foundation for Hellenic Culture, New York
"Yannis Simonides and Loukas Skipitaris gave us a sensitive reading of Plato's text in this exciting performance. They managed to turn the elusive Socratic character alive with immediacy, playful irony, and the dramatic depth that make the Apology an inexhaustible source of wisdom, as meaningful in our times as it was in fourth century Athens."
Constance Tagopoulos, Professor of European Studies, Queens College, NY
"We are all still talking about your inspired performance! We are hoping to have you return to remind us of the power of words and the importance of theatre."
Kathryn B. Yatrakis, Dean of Academic Affairs, Associate Dean of Columbia College