The French writer and philosopher Albert Camus (1913-1960) wrote the play Caligula in 1938. The plot of the work is historical, but it would be inaccurate to consider it a traditional historical drama. In Caligula, the writer was most concerned to express in a concentrated way the ideas of denial and affirmation, absurdity and rebellion, hope and faith, which were characteristic of his philosophy and artistic consciousness.
In Lithuanian theatre, Caligula occupies a unique place. In 1983, in the Youth Theatre, directed by Ignas Jonynas; in 2014, by Vidas Bareikis (No Theatre); in 2021, by Agnius Jankevičius (National Kaunas Drama Theatre).
"Revolt makes conscious the whole experience", writes Camus. The death of Caligula's beloved awakens the superman, who rejects traditional moral norms and societal structures to create his own personal moral code. I am drawn to exploring the sinking of existential fear, hopelessness and madness. The hell that Caligula creates is a resistance to inevitability. How to maintain a balance between a crumbling world and a helpless man? In this sketch I will analyse the nature of existential fear. Druzilla's death has opened Pandora's box, and burning hands are incapable of closing it. Caligula is an ode to anxiety." (James Brazys)
