This year’s fall play tells the story of a futuristic world where robots, initially created as laborers for humans, revolt against their creators.“Rossum’s Universal Robots” will take place in Sherry Lansing Theater and run Nov. 14-16 at 7 p.m.
Originally written in the 1920s by the Czech playwright Karel Čapek, “R.U.R.” was selected as the fall production due to its timely themes of artificial intelligence, an issue that has captured significant interest in the U-High community.
“We’re entering an exciting but scary era of artificial intelligence,” director Matt Boresi said. “We’re wrestling with it on a personal level with things like how we write our research papers, but also on a larger level of what technology we are allowing into our lives. This is a play that addresses that.”
Sophomore Eliza Feigenbaum, who plays the role of a human robot activist named Helena, also believes the play was chosen for its relevant messages.
“What’s really impressive about this play is how relevant it is to the present day, since it was written over 100 years ago,” Eliza said. “At the end of the play, all the humans are dead because the robots have taken over. I think that’s something we need to think about in terms of AI and developing it further because it could potentially be detrimental to our livelihood.”
Addy Johnson, a junior who plays engineer Fabry in the production, says she enjoys how the play combines lighthearted elements with more serious issues.
“It’s humorous but it’s also very interesting,” she said.
Addy also appreciates how “R.U.R.” differs from previous theater productions she has been involved in.
“The play is different from what you would normally expect for a high school production,” she said. “We re-wrote the script and made it more accessible to everyone.”
Mr. Boresi noted that what’s special about “R.U.R.” is there are not one or two main roles.
“The way we have edited the script, it is very much an ensemble piece,” he said. “The rehearsals we’ve had so far have really felt like a bunch of artists working together to tell a story.”
