Mithra

July  01 2026   Journal of Literary Studies and Dramatic Theory Vol. 14, No. 3 | Summer 2026 | pp. 98–121 Beyond History, Beyond Silicon:  The Philosophical Theatre of Farid Novin Herbert J. Longworth Columbia University School of the Arts I.  Toward a New Dramatic Imagination Contemporary theatre often finds itself divided between two competing impulses. One seeks intimacy through psychological realism, reducing drama to the conflicts of individuals navigating recognizable social worlds. The other embraces spectacle, employing technology and visual experimentation while frequently sacrificing philosophical depth. Rarely does a playwright attempt to reconcile intellectual inquiry with theatrical imagination on an ambitious historical scale. Rarer still is a dramatist who constructs an entire dramatic universe in which ancient empires, mythical traditions, modern corporations, artificial intelligence, and metaphysical speculation become parts of a single philosophical...