Friday 16th May | 7pm
Imperium: The Cicero Plays
This two-part event starts with actors coming together to read and discuss scenes from the play Imperium, based on the Cicero trilogy by Robert Harris, adapted by Mike Poulton. As they delve into the scenes they discover a story of natural humanity, and good laws versus military ambition at a time in history when the political values and certainties of governments were overwhelmed by a world in turmoil. Does that sound familiar?
The second part brings together a panel of speakers chaired by Baroness Joyce Quin to discuss some of the issues the actors have raised. The panel includes Chi Onwurah, Labour MP, Newcastle Central and West and Dr Kathryn Tempest, Lecturer in Roman History at The School of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester.
(RT Hon Baroness) Joyce Quin
Born and brought up on Tyneside Joyce gained a First in French at Newcastle University followed by an MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics. After some years as a University Lecturer at Bath and Durham Universities she was elected MEP for Tyne and Wear in 1979. In 1987 she became Member of Parliament for Gateshead East and served as a government minister from 1997 to 2001. Appointed to the House of Lords in 2006 she took as her title Baroness Quin of Gateshead. She has Honorary Fellowships from Sunderland University and St Mary’s College, Durham, and in 2023 was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Newcastle University. She is a Freeman of the Borough of Gateshead and in 2010 was made “Officer de la Legion d’Honneur” by the government of France. Outside of politics she has always been keenly interested in North-East local history and since the 1970s has acted as one of Newcastle’s City Guides. She is the author of a book on the British Constitution, published in 2010 and more recently wrote “Angels of the North: Notable Women of the North East (Tyne Bridge Publishing, 2018).
Dr Kathryn Tempest - Lecturer in Roman History at Leicester University
Dr Tempest’s research focuses on Cicero, Roman Oratory, and Roman Republican history, as
well as the theory and practice of rhetoric more generally. Recently, she has written a biography of Caesar's famous assassin: Brutus: The Noble Conspirator (Yale University Press, 2017) which does not just tell the story of his life; it also examines how that story was transmitted and interpreted from antiquity to today. Dr Tempest has been a consultant for several TV programmes for the BBC, Netflix and Sky, and has appeared on several radio shows and podcasts.
Chi Onwurah MP is a British politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West since 2024, and previously for Newcastle upon Tyne Central from 2010 to 2024, when the constituency was abolished. She is a member of the Labour Party. Onwurah was the shadow minister for Industrial Strategy, Science and Innovation under Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn from October 2016 until April 2020, when she was appointed shadow minister for Science, Research and Digital by Keir Starmer.
For the full Classics Fest 2025 events CLICK HERE
A LIVE Event at the Lit & Phil | FREE
Most events are free and take place at the Lit & Phil unless otherwise stated. Where there is a ticket charge, those on unemployment benefit and students are free.
Age recommendation for all events is 12 years+
All events must be booked in advance unless otherwise stated. Except for the ClassicsFest Competition Finale at Alphabetti Theatre.
(If you would prefer to book directly over the phone, please call the Library Desk team on 0191 232 0192 and they will be happy to help)
