Edward Alderton Theatre

Rossum's Universal Robots [RUR]
by Karel Capek
Translated by David Wyllie

Directed by Mark Campbell

4-11 February 2012 (6 performances*)

Helena Glory visits a robot factory on a remote island and seeks to imbue the artificial workers with a soul — with terrible consequences....

Cast
Harry Domain	Kevin Coward
Sulla [Robot]	Louise Ody
Maria [Robot]	Stephanie David
Helena Glory	Geraldine Mullins
Dr Gall	Viv Stapleton
Fabry	Maureen Hardwen
Alquist	Gill Peters
Busman	Anne Hempstead
Dr Hellman	Eleanor McEnery
Nana	Tina Crook
Radius [Robot]	Helen West

Crew
Stage Manager	Sarah O'Hanlon
Assistant Stage Manager	Roz Betts
Set Design	Mark Campbell
Set Construction	Ron Andrews, John Vinnels
Set Painting	Sarah O'Hanlon, Mick Taylor
Lighting Realization	Jerry McKeon, Chris McKeon
Lighting Operation	Mick Taylor
Sound Design	Mark Campbell
Sound Operation	Ken Swan
Properties	Sarah O'Hanlon
Costumes	Laura Lockwood
RUR Logo	Kevin Coward

Music:
Peter Howell: The Leisure Hive
Klaus Schulze: Ludwig II von Bayern
Frédéric Chopin: Nocturnes Op 9 Nos 1 & 2
Dudley Simpson: The Tomorrow People

Thanks go to my splendid cast and crew, in particular my tireless stage manager Sarah O'Hanlon — one in a million.

[* 6 February performance cancelled due to power cut]

Preview

Rare revival for satirical sci-fi play

The Edward Alderton Theatre in Bexleyheath stages a rare revival of one of the first ever science fiction plays. Rossum’s Universal Robots is by Czech writer Karel Capek and was first performed in 1921. Set on a remote island, in a factory for mass-producing ‘artificial people’, the play is famous for introducing the word ‘robot’.

Helena Glory (Geraldine Mullins), daughter of the president of an industrial power, arrives on the island and is shocked to find the general manager, Domain (Kevin Coward), and his eccentric staff treating the robots as mere machines. Her efforts to imbue them with a soul are well meant, but causes them to question their role in society as slaves to mankind.

Mark Campbell has wanted to direct the play for a long time. He said: “I’m a big Doctor Who fan and RUR has always been mentioned as inspiring one of the best Tom Baker stories, 1977’s The Robots of Death. So I investigated the play and found it still had something to say, almost a century after it was written.”

RUR runs from February 4-11 (not Sunday) at 8pm. Book tickets on 020 8301 5584 and for more go to www.edwardalderton.org.

Kentish Times | 2 February 2012

Review

Play's utopian vision rings warning bell for humanity

Mark Campbell’s production of Karel Capek’s 1920 play Rossum’s Universal Robots provides an entertaining evening at the Edward Alderton Theatre. It seems a curiously dated world of science-fiction with a “living intelligent workforce” manufactured from artificial flesh in large industrial vats at Rossum’s factory. Yet, the ‘doctors’ in charge of the process are plagued by a moral dilemma and undertake experiments to imbue their soulless mass-production with feelings. The outcome sees the robots leading a murderous revolt with the inevitable overthrowing of the ruling forces.

Using a modern translation and an incisive approach to direction Mark Campbell creates a production with pace which engages and amuses. There are moments of pure eccentricity coupled with the thought-provoking consequences of social manipulation. Here lies the danger: the utopian notion of a jobless society creates a sense of cursed paradise where babies no longer need to be born to populate humanity. And there is the cautionary tale!

The cast is uniformly convincing. Kevin Coward (Harry Domain) plays the driven general manager of the factory with eyes on profit and megalomaniac aspirations. [His team of senior managers (all played by women in this production) are right behind him although quickly seduced by the arrival of Helena Glory, the President of the League of Humanity, played by Geraldine Mullins. Her values and moral stance chip away at the conscience of the ‘doctors’ and gradually lead to the factory’s downfall. There is some really well observed characterisation which effectively pitches the ‘individuality’ of the managers against the anonymity of the robots (also played by women).

Special mention should go to the set design and notably the costumes which achieve a suitably neutral yet modernist effect. In all, a welcome production even if not a welcome world!]

Steve Spencer

Kentish Times | 16 February 2012

[Section in parenthesis was cut prior to publication]

Miscellaneous

	Trailer
	Trailer [HoH version with subtitles]
	Blipvert 1
	Blipvert 2
	Blipvert 3
	Blipvert 4
	Blipvert 5
	Blipvert 6
	Blipvert 7
	Set Build
	Behind the Scenes
	Act One
	Act Two
	Act Three
	Programme
	RUR Logos
	RUR Flyer
	Kentish Times preview
	Kentish Times review