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___________________ is pleased to announce that it is bringing Sir Thomas More, the Chancellor beheaded by King Henry VIII, to ____________ on _______________. This full-length play, coauthored by Anna Marie and Graham Thatcher, features Graham Thatcher in the role of the famous English statesman. Through their company, Periaktos Productions, the Thatchers create theatre and tour productions for Continuing Legal Education programs that focus on ethical issues in the practice of law. Their repertoire also includes Clarence Darrow: Crime, Causes and the Courtroom, that focuses on four of Darrow's most famous courtroom trials, Impeach Justice Douglas!, about Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, Thurgood Marshall's Coming!, about the famous civil rights lawyer and U.S. Supreme Court Justice, and The Women Lawyers' Club, that portrays stories of some of the most noted women who have impacted the law and the American legal system. Clients of Periaktos Productions include the Chief Justice's Commission on Professionalism in Georgia, the National Diocesan Attorneys Association of the U.S. Catholic Conference, the 10th Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals and numerous state and local bar associations.Some have called Sir Thomas More the first "modern man." He was certainly the quintessential Renaissance man . . . lawyer, philosopher, linguist, raconteur, Chancellor of England . . . and author of one of the great books of western civilization, Utopia. Despite all that, King Henry VIII beheaded him in 1535 for high treason. The immediate cause of More's execution was his refusal, as Chancellor, to support the King's divorce from his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. More also refused to sign the Act of Supremacy that declared the King to be the Supreme Head of the Church of England. But the political and religious quagmire of the times made the issues more complicated.
Many persons, including most of those in the English government of his time, considered More a traitor to the Crown and his country. Many others have considered More a martyr, sacrificed for his faith. Four hundred years after his death he was canonized by the Roman Catholic Church and is the patron saint of lawyers of that faith.
Set in the Tower of London, Maxims, Monarchy and Sir Thomas More reveals the last, intensely intimate hour with More just before his execution. Still wrestling with the moral dilemmas that led him to the block, he cracks jokes, makes up songs, takes jabs at his tormentors and eventually finds peace in his fate. The drama focuses on the philosophical, legal and moral issues from More's point of view and the text excerpts More's own poetry, letters and essays. Material is also derived from extant works of his family, friends, and even enemies who knew him well. The play incorporates the wit and whimsy for which More was well known. Maxims, Monarchy and Sir Thomas More brings the man to life as he wrestled with issues of the law, the Church and the State through his life, his trial and right up to the moment of his execution. Although his letters and public disputations dealt with specific issues and situations of his time, his moral dilemmas and concerns are timeless. An extraordinary one-man tour de force, Maxims, Monarchy and Sir Thomas More sparkles with wit, explores moral questions and provides keen insight into the universal human condition.
Maxims, Monarchy and Sir Thomas More will be presented on ________________________
at _________ in ____________________. Registration is ______ . For further information
call _______________ at _______________. **
** Include registration fees and information about CLE, a post-performance discussion, who is sponsoring the show and any other pertinent information about the program or sponsor organization.