RUR (Rossum’s Universal Robots)

A new adaptation of the world classic by Karel Capek
Directed by Thomas Riccio
Adapted by Thomas Riccio and David Hanson

When Karel Capek's R.U.R. (the acronymic title is short for “Rossum's Universal Robots”) was first performed in 1921, it became a major international success and introduced the word “robot” the world. The concerns expressed by R.U.R. are as timely today as they were to Capek’s post World War I audiences. The word “robot” is derived from the Czech word “robota,” meaning forced labor, but it was the topic of the play—that technology had irrevocably changed and can imperil the world—that made the play controversial and vitally relevant today. In many ways R.U.R was prophetic, anticipating today’s concerns and hopes for human and technological interaction. Countless Hollywood films and television dramas such as Terminator, I, Robot, The Matrix, and Battlestar Galactica echo the themes and plot of the play.

With technology, urbanization, and industrialization booming immediately after the end of the First World War, R.U.R. reflected the reality and concerns of a world recovering from the horrors of the Great War.  The play proposes a technologically enabled utopian society but cautions that technology can and might be misused. Capek’s concerns about the dehumanization of man through technology are the central core of R.U.R. warning of the destructive force—physical and spiritual— of technology.

The play is also a study in human behavior, as much about how technology makes humanity more machine-like as it is about how robots behave when they become human. The play diagrams what happens when humans abdicate their responsibility for humanity. By creating another species, humans, unable to understand and control their own limitations, fail and are ultimately consumed by their creations.  R.U.R. is a timeless, modern day fable, a story that vividly and poignantly illustrates the concerns of our own and time as science continues to understand its responsibility for the scientific discoveries it unearths.

R.U.R. is set on a remote island where robots are developed to replace humans in the work force for the objective of improving productivity and manufacturing efficiency. The R.U.R. Robots are built without emotions or any unnecessary elements, so they make the perfect workers and the best solution for cutting manufacturing costs. Helena, the daughter of the president of the world, visits the island as a champion for robot rights. The R.U.R. managers assure her that the price of goods will shrink to nothing, and then humans will no longer require jobs or income. The ultimate goal for R.U.R. is utopian, to produce enough robots for the world so that human labor will become obsolete. Humans will be free to simply live and create. The human forces of greed and lust for power need to be contended with, and many utopian ideals cannot stand up to them. Ultimately the robots revolt, led by Radius, a robot that was educated by Helena, to the ways of humans. Elsewhere in the world, robots, which have been used as soldiers, are in revolt, threatening humanity.  The R.U.R. managers nearsighted to the consequences or blinded by greed see the revolt as an opportunity to produced “national” to replace “universal” robots. The new breed of robots will include robots of different colors, nationalities and languages to inhibit communication. The managers will then incite the new robots to view the others with scorn because of their differences, which will, in turn, create animosity among the robots.

R.U.R. functions as a parable about how capitalism treats the working class, symbolized by robots, and uses racism and nationalism as political tools to control the populace, who would otherwise revolt against oppressors. Led by Radius the robots rise up and kill all humans except Alquist, a man they respect because he works with his hands.  Radius becomes the leader and announces that mankind has fallen, and a new world ruled by the robots has arisen. Power has made the Robots still more like human beings. They only last twenty years, and without human intelligence, the robots cannot replace themselves and they too, are headed for extinction. The play ends with Primus and a robot named Helena, a technological Adam and Eve, evolving into a new sort of world.

Thomas Riccio, Professor of Performance Studies at UTD, will direct the production. Professor Riccio is also the Lead Narrative Engineer for Hanson Robotics, a Richardson company that makes some of the world’s most advanced conversational robots. Riccio scripts robot dialog and narratives.

Riccio sees the production of R.U.R. as an opportunity to explore timely themes and issues of technology and its place in a rapidly developing world. The production will be set in its original period of 1921 and envision the future world of the past. The play’s unique mix of melodramatic and expressionistic styles will be heightened and portrayed by a heightened theatriclized style of acting prevalent at the time of the play’s original production.

R.U.R. will feature the award winning lighting design work of multiple Rabin award winner, Jeff Stover. Jennifer Ables, who recently completed a season with the Oklahoma Shakespeare will design costumes. Dale Seeds, an award winning set designer from Ohio, will create a period expressionistic set.  Frank Dufour, a recent addition to the UTD Arts and Technology area from Paris, France, will design the soundscapes.

The cast includes Brad Hennigan as Harry Domin, the director of the R.U.R. factory and Lori McCarty as Helena Glory, as the champion of robot rights and the woman that everyone falls in love with. The eccentric, Mason York as Fabry, Kyandus Perry ad Dr. Gall, Gene Rios as Dr. Hallemeier, play vaudeville-like managers of R.U.R. Josh Glover is the money obsessed Busman. Alquist, Wes Ferguson plays the salt of the earth builder, and Nana, the religious fanatic friend and Rhiannon Delano plays confidant of Helena. The human-like robots are played by Tyler Ratliff as Marius and Lauren Hollis as Sulla the secretary.  Andrew Aguilar will play radius, the revolutionary leader of the robots; Ben Connors will play Damon the robot official. Rounding out the robot cast are: Will Collins, Vineeth John, Rami Rassas and Ashley Wilson

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Prologue
Helena, the daughter of the president of a major industrial power, arrives at the island factory of Rossum's Universal Robots. She meets Domin, the General Manager of R.U.R., who tells her the history of the company and the robot technology, and the basics of economics, which generate the demand for labor. Helena meets Fabry, Dr.Gall, Alquist, and Hallemeier, and reveals she is a representative of the League of Humanity, a human rights organization that wishes to "free" the robots. She is then convinced of the irrelevance of such an organization to robots. Domin and Helena are engaged to be married.

Act One
Ten years later, Helena and her nurse Nana are talking about current events. Helena and Domin reminisce about the day they met, and summarize the last ten years of world history as shaped by the new worldwide robot-based economy. Helena meets Dr Gall's new robot experiment, Radius, and Dr Gall describes his experimental robot, Helena. In secret, Helena burns the secret formula required to create robots. All the characters are present when they hear the news that the entire robot population of the world is revolting against their human masters.

Act Two
Robot forces lay siege to the factory. Helena reveals she has burnt the formula. The characters lament the end of civilization. Robots storm the factory and kill all the characters except for Alquist.

Act Three
Years have passed and all humans have been killed by the robot government except for Alquist, who has been ordered to recreate the formula to make robots. Because he is not a scientist, he has not made any progress. Officials from the robot government approach Alquist and first order and then beg him to complete the formula. Robots Primus and Helena fall in love, and Alquist realizes they are the robot Adam and Eve.

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Thomas Riccio is Professor of Performance Studies and Arts and Technology. www.thomas-riccio.net. David Hanson is one of the world’s leading roboticist and recent Ph.D. graduate from UT Dallas.

David Hanson is a recent recipient of the State of Texas Emerging Technology Grant. He is the CEO of Hanson Robotics. www.hansonroboitcs.com.

Frank Dufour, Assistant Professor of Arts and Technology at UT Dallas will develop an original sound scape.

Dale Seeds, from the College of Wooster (Ohio), will design the sets.