“The Stranger” – one-man show by Šamil Hamatov

Šamil Hamatov in the production “THE STRANGER”

Based on Albert Camus’ work

What happens to a person who does not want to live by the rules that apply in society? Is it possible to remain oneself when others expect us to feel, behave and react in a certain way?

The one-man show “The Stranger” is based on a play by Mikhail Durnenkov, inspired by Albert Camus’ famous novel of the same name.

At the centre of the production is a man who gradually becomes a stranger to everyone around him. He does not try to meet other people’s expectations or pretend to be someone he is not, and he seems to exist outside the usual understandings of justice, good and evil.

The main character faces a society that tries to explain his behaviour, judge him by its own standards and eventually condemns him. But is a person guilty of experiencing the world differently from others? Where does inner freedom end and loneliness begin?

“The Stranger” continues a theatre project initiated by director Yuri Butusov. The production was created by his pupil Maya Dorozhenko, whose work carries forward her teacher’s artistic legacy.

Note: the performance is in Russian.