In 399 B.C., Socrates was sentenced to death in Athens for “corrupting the youth.” What would happen today to a philosopher determined to examine the world, challenge authority, and bring reason to the fore in a world saturated with contradictions?

In this scathing play, written in the spring of 2025 in response to the threats looming over American universities since Trump’s return to power, Socrates becomes Koulos, a philosophy professor at Duty Free University. Facing him: a dean who embraces cancel culture, a university president who governs like Elon Musk, and an era in which the debate of ideas is faltering. Alongside his students, Koulos attempts to restore a measure of civility and clarity, but will ultimately, as in the past, be swept away by the madness of his time.

Program

  • 6:00 p.m.: Welcome
  • 6:30 p.m.: Start of the performance

The staged reading will be followed by a panel discussion addressing the play and the current threats facing science and universities. 

Open bar after the performance

This staged reading is a production of the Magasin d’écriture théâtrale (MET). Directed by Jacques Neefs.

Featuring Yves Claessens, Frédéric Clou, Tiphanie Lefrançois, Sandrine Quynh, Benjamin Thomas, Stéphanie Van Vyve, and Jérémie Zagba

Free event; registration required.

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