TEHRAN-The play “Caligula” written by Albert Camus will go on stage at Iranshahr Theater Complex in Tehran from August 18.

Roya Asadi has directed the 80-minute play. The cast includes Mikail Shahrestani, Mohammadreza Mirhosseini. Ali Keshvari, Saeeed Parsa, Raha Khodayari, and Farhad Etemadi among others, Honaronline reported.

published for the first time in 1944, the play was later the subject of numerous revisions. It is part of what Camus called the "Cycle of the Absurd", together with the novel The Stranger (1942) and the essay The Myth of Sisyphus (1942).

A number of critics have reported the piece to be existentialist, though Camus always denied belonging to this philosophy. Its plot revolves around the historical figure of Caligula, a Roman Emperor famed for his cruelty and seemingly insane behavior.

The play depicts Caligula, torn by the death of Drusilla, his sister. In Camus' version of events, Caligula eventually deliberately manipulates his own assassination. (Historically, Caligula's assassination took place in AD 41.)

Albert Camus (1913-1960) was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, journalist, world federalist, and political activist. He was the recipient of the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the second-youngest recipient in history. His works include “The Stranger,” “The Plague,” “The Myth of Sisyphus,” “The Fall,” and “The Rebel”.

The play will remain on stage  until August 25 at Iranshahr Theater, located in Artists Park on North Mousavi Street, Taleqani Street.

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