“Tyrant, Show Thy Face”

How does a truly disastrous leader – a sociopath, a demagogue, a tyrant – come to power?
How, and why, does a tyrant hold on to power? And what goes on in the hidden recesses of the tyrant’s soul?
For help in understanding our most urgent contemporary dilemmas, William Shakespeare has no peer.

BUY TICKETS

In the new book Tyrant: Shakespeare On Politics, Stephen Greenblatt examines the themes of power and tyranny in some of Shakespeare’s most famous plays — from the dominating figures of Richard III, Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Macbeth, and Coriolanus to the subtle tyranny found in Measure for Measure and The Winter’s Tale.

ASP Resident Acting Company members and ASP Youth will collaborate with Greenblatt to illuminate Shakespeare’s tyrants, from the fierce to the funny, with excerpts from Shakespeare’s plays and devised interactive performance pieces.

WGBH’s Executive Arts Editor & Host of Open Studio Jared Bowen will join Greenblatt on stage for a conversation about the relevance of these themes in today’s world.

$125 (7 PM) includes a private reception with Stephen Greenblatt, ASP actors, and Tyrant book signing, followed by the main event. ($85 tax-deductible)
$95 (8 PM Dessert, Conversation, and Performances
During the evening, Porter Square Books will have copies of Tyrant for sale.