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Theater play Caligula about tyranny to represent Ukraine at France’s Avignon performing arts festival

Ukrainian production of Caligula, based on French writer Albert Camus’ interpretation of the Roman emperor, delves into questions of tyranny, freedom, dignity, and the consequences of unlimited power, resonating with Ukraine’s ongoing fight for independence, according to Ukrainian director Ivan Uryvskyi.
byVira Kravchuk
01/07/2024
2 minute read
Photo from the play Caligula by Ivan Uryvskyi
Photo from the play Caligula by Ivan Uryvskyi Source: Ivan Franko National Theatre in Kyiv
Theater play Caligula about tyranny to represent Ukraine at France’s Avignon performing arts festival

Ukraine’s theater play Caligula, directed by Ivan Uryvskyi, will represent Ukraine at the prestigious performing arts Avignon Festival (Festival d’Avignon) in France this July, according to the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy.

Caligula, a Roman emperor from the Julius-Claudian dynasty, has long been synonymous with extreme cruelty, tyranny, and impunity.

The play is based on the interpretation of Caligula’s persona by French writer Albert Camus, posing questions like, “What is true freedom? At what price is the freedom of an individual acquired? What turns a person into a being who loses dignity and honor? What can a person with unlimited power do?” 

Photo from the play Caligula by Ivan Uryvskyi
Source: Ivan Franko National Theatre in Kyiv

“The theme of dictatorship needs to be talked about and worked with. This is a story about how humanity repeats its mistakes, but we need to remember them so as not to repeat them again“ said the play’s director. 

He believes the play draws parallels between the tyrannical reign of the Roman emperor and the Ukraine’s fight for independence against Russian imperialism.

The scenography immerses the audience in a metaphorical prison, reflecting the surveillance and control characteristic of totalitarian regimes, while also touching on Orwellian themes of truth manipulation and the erosion of individual freedoms.

Photo from the play Caligula by Ivan Uryvskyi
Source: Ivan Franko National Theatre in Kyiv

Ivan Uryvskyi has been a director at the Ivan Franko National Theater in Kyiv since 2020, staging performances like The Witch of Konotop by Hryhorii Kvitka-Osnovianenko, Peer Gynt by Henrik Ibsen, A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams and The Fortuneless Maiden by Ivan Karpenko-Kary.

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