RUR

The birth of the Robot

Premiered in 2010 in São Paulo at Itaú Cultural, the play “RUR, The Birth of the Robot” brought together on stage three human actors and three robotic actors. Although based on the 1920 play by Karel Čapek — which became a classic not only for its dystopian message but also for being the origin of the word “robot” — this new version presents a more favorable view of machines, which, seen as mere slaves by humans, aspire to freedom and happiness. In the end, a small robot is born from the love between two of the robotic protagonists…

“It may sound like science fiction, but humans and robots performing together in a play has been a reality since Thursday in São Paulo, when the play RUR, The Birth of the Robot premiered. Organized by the Portuguese visual artist Leonel Moura — who specializes in robotics and artificial intelligence — and based on a classic play that gave rise to the word ‘robot,’ the production places high-tech robots and flesh-and-blood actors side by side on the same stage.

Using a sophisticated system, the robots move freely across the stage, speak, and one of them even interferes randomly with the human actors’ performance. The original play, written by Czech author Karel Čapek in 1920, has been performed around the world and, according to Moura, this is the first time Čapek’s robots are portrayed by beings of the same kind. ‘The roles of the robots were always played by humans,’ said the Portuguese artist.

The idea of bringing robots to life had long been a dream for Moura. When he began working with robotics ten years ago, he had the idea of adapting the Czech classic. But the dream only began to materialize in 2009, when Marcos Cuzziol, the cultural center’s curator, invited him to stage the play in Brazil.”

Breno Rotatori, in Veja

This is a poor-quality video recording of the play performed at Itaú Cultural in 2010, but it may serve as a memory.