NORTH MANCHESTER – Manchester University will welcome British actor Michael Mears for a presentation and theatrical performance on April 7 and 8, respectively.
Mears' presentation, titled "The role of the arts and culture in promoting peace and opposing war," is Monday at 11 a.m. in Wine Recital Hall. He will discuss the power of art to inform, inspire and compel, according to a news release from Manchester University.
A performance of his play, “The Mistake,” is April 8 at 7 p.m. in Cordier Auditorium. Performed by Mears and Japanese actor Riko Nakazono, its running time is approximately 80 minutes, and the performance will be followed by a question-and-answer session with the actors. It is suitable for audiences of 14+ years.
The play, which begins its off-Broadway run in late April, tells the story of Leo Szilard, a man tormented by his role in creating the atomic bomb, who must do everything he can to prevent the catastrophic bombing of Hiroshima, and Shigeko Nomura, a young woman living in Hiroshima who survives her city's destruction and must use every last ounce of her energy to reach and rescue her parents.
Both events are free and open to the public.
Mears has four decades of experience working in theatre, film and television, including seasons with the National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Peter Hall Company, portraying many classical and Shakespearean roles. He has also worked in many of the U.K.'s regional theatres. He is perhaps best known as an award-winning performer of his own original solo plays for theatre and radio. His works include productions about World War I conscientious objectors, the lives of factory canteen workers, homelessness, and now, with “The Mistake,” the bombing of Hiroshima.