Platos' Apology of Socrates Performance

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Plato's Apology of Socrates - a Classics with a Twist Benefit Performance for Topia Arts Center Nov 5, 2005 at Topia Arts Center at 8 pm Tickets $15, Seniors and Students $10 with valid ID, Group Discount for 10 or more - $12 27 Park Street, Adams ~ (413) 743-9600 for info order tickets online at www.TopiaArts.org or call (866) 811-4111 Toga optional Plato’s Apology of Socrates is a work considered to be among the foundations of Western thought, and Topia Arts Center is thinking about solid beginnings as they continue to rebuild their theater space. For this second Fundraising Benefit Performance in the still raw theater space, Topia is presenting a classic with a twist. Actor Yannis Simonides brings Socrates to life in this one-man show, staged uniquely within the current "voicepaper" sculpture installation of artist Ven Voisey. Simonides and director Loukas Skipitaris have come up with an accessible and engaging modern translation of Plato's original Greek text. Oscar and Tony Award-winning designer Theoni Vahliotis Aldredge designed Simonides’ costume and mask. Caryn Heilman will add live percussion. The Apology is Plato’s report of Socrates’ formal statement of justification or defense at Socrates’ trial in 399 B.C.E. Socrates (469-399 B.C.E.), is a philosopher who used a method known as the Socratic dialogue to elicit knowledge from his students by pursuing a series of questions and examining the implications of their answers. He discussed virtue, justice and attention to one's soul wherever his fellow citizens congregated, seeking wisdom about right conduct so that he might guide the moral and intellectual improvement of Athens. His criticism of the Sophists and Athenian political and religious institutions made him many enemies and he was accused of corrupting the youth of Athens through his teachings and for religious heresies. He resisted all attempts to save his life and willingly drank poisoned hemlock as his sentence of death. The Apologia, Crito and Phaedo are the three dialogues recorded by Plato that describe his life, works, trial and death. Simonides studied at the Yale Drama School and has produced Emmy-winning documentaries. He is director of the Greek Theater of New York and head of Mythic Media, a performing arts laboratory. Skipitaris has directed productions of Greek classics and plays by Anton Chekhov, Tennessee Williams, George Bernard Shaw, Neil Simon, Ira Levin and others. He is founder and director of Theatron, a not-for-profit Greek-American performing arts center in New York City. Simonides’ mask was constructed by Izquierdo Studios, Ltd. His costume was executed by Wallace G. Lane, Jr. Ven Voisey's site-specific interactive installation at Topia Arts Center is part of "An Artist is a Person in your Neighborhood", a series of exhibitions by Northern Berkshire artists, made possible in part by a grant from the Cultural Council of Northern Berkshire, a local agency of the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Space from CAC, Images Cinema, & Topia Arts Center was also donated by each respective organization. This will be the third benefit performance produced by Topia Arts Center to raise money for the renovation of the old Adams Theater at 27 Park Street. Following standing ovations at the Tony Kushner reading by Marcia Gay Harden, David Strathairn and Ajay Naidu in February, Topia Arts Center opened the doors to the old theater space for the first time in 40 years with a door opening ceremony and more standing ovations for the Nimble Arts Troupe composed of former members of Cirque du Soleil and Ringling Brothers. Plato's Apology of Socrates will be the final 2005 benefit concert and the last chance to experience the theater at its most foundational stage. Opportunities for giving will continue with a silent auction and wine and beer tastings hosted by Cafe Topia, where you can continue to enjoy intimate live performances every weekend through mid-December.
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EPA Lays Out Draft Plan for PCB Remediation in Pittsfield

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

Ward 4 Councilor James Conant requested the meeting be held at Herberg Middle School as his ward will be most affected. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — U.S. The Environmental Protection Agency and General Electric have a preliminary plan to remediate polychlorinated biphenyls from the city's Rest of River stretch by 2032.

"We're going to implement the remedy, move on, and in five years we can be done with the majority of the issues in Pittsfield," Project Manager Dean Tagliaferro said during a hearing on Wednesday.

"The goal is to restore the (Housatonic) river, make the river an asset. Right now, it's a liability."

The PCB-polluted "Rest of River" stretches nearly 125 miles from the confluence of the East and West Branches of the river in Pittsfield to the end of Reach 16 just before Long Island Sound in Connecticut.  The city's five-mile reach, 5A, goes from the confluence to the wastewater treatment plant and includes river channels, banks, backwaters, and 325 acres of floodplains.

The event was held at Herberg Middle School, as Ward 4 Councilor James Conant wanted to ensure that the residents who will be most affected by the cleanup didn't have to travel far.

Conant emphasized that "nothing is set in actual stone" and it will not be solidified for many months.

In February 2020, the Rest of River settlement agreement that outlines the continued cleanup was signed by the U.S. EPA, GE, the state, the city of Pittsfield, the towns of Lenox, Lee, Stockbridge, Great Barrington, and Sheffield, and other interested parties.

Remediation has been in progress since the 1970s, including 27 cleanups. The remedy settled in 2020 includes the removal of one million cubic yards of contaminated sediment and floodplain soils, an 89 percent reduction of downstream transport of PCBs, an upland disposal facility located near Woods Pond (which has been contested by Southern Berkshire residents) as well as offsite disposal, and the removal of two dams.

The estimated cost is about $576 million and will take about 13 years to complete once construction begins.

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