Michael Stuhlbarg to star in Socrates at the Public Theater

The world premiere of Tim Blake Nelson's Socrates begins performances at the Public Theater on April 2, 2019.

Golden Globe, Emmy & Tony Award nominee Michael Stuhlbarg is set to return to the New York stage and take on the title role in the Public Theater's forthcoming world premiere of Socrates, written by Tim Blake Nelson and directed by Tony Award winner Doug Hughes, which is scheduled to play a limited engagement from April 2 through to May 19, 2019 at the Public's Martinson Hall. An official opening will be held on April 16.

Mr. Stuhlbarg earned a Tony Award nomination in 2005 for his performance in The Pillowman, a Golden Globe nomination in 2010 for "A Serious Man," and more recently, an Emmy Award nomination for "The Looming Tower" in 2018. His other Broaday credits include The Invention of Love, Cabaret, Taking Sides, The Government Inspector, Timon of Athens, Three Men on a Horse, and Saint Joan. Other recent, notable screen credits include "Call Me by Your Name," "The Shape of Water," and "Boardwalk Empire".

Commenting on the casting of Mr. Stuhlbarg, playwright Tim Blake Nelson said: "Given its physical, emotional, and technical demands, this role might have been next to impossible to cast. Luckily, I've known Michael since drama school, and was able to bring him in to read the part in my living room when the play was only a first draft. He's the only actor I envisioned to play this complex character, and I'm ecstatic he will now bring his nearly unparalleled talents to Doug's and The Public's production of the play leading this exquisite cast." 

In addition, initial casting for the production also includes Dave Quay (as Diokles / Meletus), Austin Smith (as Alcibiades), Joe Tapper (as Agathon / Meno), and Andrew Weems (as Proxenus / Gorgias / Aristophanes), with further casting to be announced at a later date. 

Synopsis: "Socrates is a witty and endlessly fascinating new drama about a complicated man who changed how the world thought. This powerful new play is an intellectual thrill ride from the philosopher's growing prominence in democratic Athens through the military and social upheavals that led to one of the most infamous executions in Western history. Socrates is a timely and timeless new work that serves as a passionate tribute to the man who continues to inspire us to question authority and defend freedom of belief."

Socrates is presented in collaboration with the Onassis Cultural Center NY.

^{(Images courtesy of the Public Theater)}