Caligula

CALIGULA
A production by the National Academic Drama Theatre named after Ivan Franko

Author: Albert Camus | Director: Ivan Uryvskij

Caligula defies logic, fate, and the gods themselves - not only does he seek to take their place, but to surpass their power. The emperor possesses unlimited authority to pursue this ambition. In a world ruled by absurdity, the line between despotic power and enslaved existence is thin - and Caligula is acutely aware of it.

The name of the Roman emperor from the Julio-Claudian dynasty has for centuries been synonymous with boundless cruelty and tyranny. In Albert Camus's interpretation, Caligula is a lonely egocentric who, after losing his sinful love for his sister, attempts to escape the pain of the emptiness left behind. He wields the emperor's unlimited power to demonstrate his strength in the face of fate - yet his actions bring only chaos and death.

The play poses questions that haunt both the protagonist and each of us: What crimes is a person capable of when fearing for their life? What is true freedom, and at what price? What is a person with unlimited power capable of - is it merely the tyrant, or also the fear and silent complicity of those around him that breeds tyranny?

Albert Camus (1913-1960), French novelist and philosopher, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1957, worked on this drama from 1939 to 1958. The premiere took place in 1945 at the Théâtre Hébertot in Paris, with Gérard Philipe in the lead role.

"A man of honor is such a rare creature in our world that I cannot even bear to look at him." - Albert Camus