R.U.R.

 

featuring Jamil Chokachi, Tegan Ashton Cohan, Vicki Conrad, Warren Davis, A.J. Diamond, Jennifer Gabbert, Katie Kevorkian, Gretchen Koerner, Sara Lesley, Vera Miao, Michael Rachlis, Mahryah Shain

and Tee Williams

 

April 18 – May 16, 2009

"R.U.R." stands for "Rossum's Universal Robots." Written in 1920 - R.U.R. garnered worldwide acclaim for its author and introduced the word "Robot" to the English language. Mass-produced, efficient and servile labor, Capek's robots remember everything, but lack creative thought, and the Utopian life they provide ultimately lacks meaning. When the robots revolt, killing all but one of their masters, they must attempt to learn the secret of procreation.  

 

Working from a new adaptation by Action! Theatre Company Artistic Director, Tiger Reel, this production will highlight Capek's themes of technology's effect on society, gender and class roles and will wrestle with the question: "Are we as a race worth saving?"

"Reel crams the stage with continuously stark human and robotic tableaux and features his own strident soundtrack complete with clanking metal echoes and repetitive industrial noise, all augmented perfectly by Matt Richter's ghostly lighting effects that throw huge shadows on the theatre's walls......The cast is uniformly game, trusting Reel's interpretation, collectively harking back to a bravely ambitious acting style reminiscent of early B-movie talkies..... the performances are golden."

- Backstage West

 

"Particularly deft performances from Tee Williams, Vera Miao and Jennifer Gabbert"

- LA Weekly