When the Schwarzman Centre decided to adapt Karel Čapek‘s dystopian play R.U.R. as their first full scale production since opening READ ABOUT IT HERE they gave renowned playwright Ella Road a call.
Ella has since shaped the 1920s science-fiction play about the creation of mass-produced, biologically synthesised artificial workers that eventually revolt…. into ROBOTA, which opens with Headlong Theatre tomorrow (July 3).
‘this is a high-voltage and timely theatre production perfect for the age of artificial intelligence’
Long known for their dynamic, exhilarating performances, Headlong is working with Ella to realise her vision, in this high-voltage and timely theatre production perfect for the age of artificial intelligence.
Ella, who studied English at Oxford University’s Somerville College, and then won a place at Oxford School of Drama, had to work quickly on ROBOTA, but immediately knew it would be a hugely fun but challenging project. “ROBOTA works so well in real time, even though it was written 106 years ago,” she says.
‘robota is a really big play with big ideas’
“Working on the opening production at The Schwarzman was too good an opportunity to miss, which meant that the production has evolved as we’ve worked on it, with some big changes,” she says.
“Because it’s a really big play with big ideas, and although it’s sci-fi, we wanted to make something you won’t see on the screen. So the challenge was how to make something imminently theatrical in a genre usually reserved for TV and film,” Ella says, “so we are setting it in a modern era where things that seem human are not.”
For the majority of us who haven’t read or seen it, R.U.R is about someone convinced AI has a soul and goes on a journey to prove that. “She ends up learning more about herself than AI, about what the boundaries of being human are. It makes you self reflect. In fact there has been a lot of soul searching for those involved,” Ella explains.
‘ROBOTA is so prescient, because we are having the same conversations and asking the same questions right now’
“But because ROBOTA is so prescient, because we are having the same conversations and asking the same questions right now, it works. Back then it was merely speculative and more about exploitation, serfdom, slavery and the abuse of power. So it’s exciting taking such a classic epic and unfolding it within the gender politics we are experiencing now.”
Working alongside Oxford’s professors, Headlong is therefore also exploring the historical parallels to today’s current acceleration of change in ROBOTA which directly mirrors Câpek’s predictions.
“Modernising old texts is always interesting because you don’t want to lose the interesting parts. But the original story has a great basic structure. We had a licence to create something really epic.
“So ROBOTA is thought-provoking, bold and slick, but goes in a wild direction and then winds back, which Headlong is perfect for because they are renowned for pushing boundaries. And it’s not too techy because we wanted to make it feel more human.
‘We had a licence to create something really epic’
“ROBOTA is more about what it is to be human, both physiologically and physically, so it’s earthy, sensual, grounded, fleshy and less about tech than you’d expect.”
So did Ella know how her adaption would pan out when she embarked on the project? “I knew the beginning, the end and the climaxes, but felt really compelled by how this play inspired all the sci-fi plays, plays and art since, from Alien and Blade Runner to Severance. Karel Čapek underpins everything we know about sci-fi, robots and AI, so ROBOTA shows how all those stories are linked.
“Just because you’re using old material doesn’t mean you can’t create something new, something with hope. Because we are not AI.
“But don’t worry, we’re asking the questions, not answering them, so ROBOTA is a fun ride for the audience. We don’t want to shove our ideas down their throats.”
“ROBOTA is a fun ride for the audience. We don’t want to shove our ideas down their throats”
And what’s does she think about The Schwarzman staging ROBOTA? “It’s a really brave move to commission a new piece like this because theatres around the country are playing it safe right now, and there isn’t a lot of new work out there, so this is very cool, innovative and super exciting to work on.”
“It’s really liberating to work on something original. It gives us a lot of creative freedom, so ROBOTA is a gift and everyone has been working really, really hard. We are really excited that ROBOTA has come together.”
ROBOTA runs from July 3-18 at The Schwarzman Centre. Book here: https://www.schwarzmancentre.ox.ac.uk/whats-on/robota-fcxq
