In this paper we shall look Camus’ last text on dramatic art in order to introduce his most general thought about the deep and problematic relationship that exists between theatre, life and political action. Perché faccio teatro? [«Why do I deal with theatre?») is a speech that Camus prepared for a television broadcast transmitted on May 12 1959: the author not only explained where his profound passion for drama came from, but also explicitly answered critics who had accused him of backing out of his role of intellectual, due to his increasingly intensive engagement on the Parisian stages.