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Grex Scifi Item 78: AACT presents RUR, a science fiction play about robots. [linked]
Entered by matthew on Tue Feb 13 01:16:48 UTC 1996:

The Ann Arbor Civic Theatre is excited to invite you  to  their upcoming 
production of Karel Capek's science fiction melodrama  R.u.R., which will 
be performed at the Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre in Ann Arbor on March  6-9, 
1996.  R.u.R. is a classic distopian tale of creation gone awry in the 
tradition of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

Rossum's Univeral Robots is a huge and powerful multinational corporation 
whose sole purpose is the full-scale manufacture and sale of soulless, 
emotionless artifical workers.  When their creators' experiments endow 
them with emotions, the Robots rise in revolt and ultimately destroy 
humanity.  
But...

First performed in Prague in 1921, R.u.R. was a popular success both in 
London and New York,  where it premiered  one year later.  R.u.R. saw 
praise by contemporary British Intelligensia such as Shaw and Chesterton 
as an ambitious and compelling satire ofhte machine age; capitalism; and 
social structure.  R.u.R. is known by science fiction fans worldwide for 
its' etymology of the term  "robot" into modern vocabulary.  

Written in the 1920's,  R.u.R.'s language is anachronistic.  Many of the 
issues raised in the play are a tad naive to contemporary audiences 
growing up  with The Terminator and Mr. Data.  So, we elected to 
interpret  the script  towards a current context of  a virtual reality  
world.  With a stylistic use of lighting, video, music and genre acting,  
the traditions  of Buck Rodgers;  Flash Gorden and Metropolis will live 
in your minds and on stage.  The production will be campy ,  yet 
provacative.  Juxtaposed to the fun, we prestent for you a though 
provoking  and emotionally compelling  theatre experience. 

Interface with AACT and logon to a compelling stage presentation. . . R.u.R.

Tickets are $15.  Call the AACT business office for reservations @ 
313-971-2228.  Discount rates available.  Showtimes are 8:00 pm  
Wednesday, March 6 through Saturday, March 9; with an additional matinee 
on Saturday  @ 2:00 pm

For more information visit our web page at:
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mjfulton/rur1.html
or email us at  RURproduction@umich.edu
Please do not send reservation requests to our email address, use the
phone number listed above.

6 responses total.

#1 of 6 by robh on Wed Feb 14 04:07:29 1996:

This item has been linked from Arts 118 to SciFi 78.

#2 of 6 by matthew on Wed Feb 14 11:42:37 1996:

Thanks Rob !

#3 of 6 by janc on Wed Feb 14 17:16:44 1996:

Since when is "enymology" a verb?

#4 of 6 by matthew on Thu Feb 15 11:59:57 1996:

Entymology isn't a verb, but then "enymology"  isn't a word  ;)
That was caught and changed along with a few other errors, thanks !

#5 of 6 by matthew on Fri Mar 8 23:43:04 1996:

Well I saw the show last night, and enjoyed it. It is a lot of fun ! It's
actually rather humerous. It was written  back in the early part of the
century and comes off as being rather melodramatic. So the performers play
it to the hilt, and it comes off very well. It does present the point the
author was originally trying to make, but it also comes across as a rather
humerous production. Do see it if you have the chance.

#6 of 6 by kami on Mon Dec 30 05:14:09 1996:

re: #4-
<sigh>
ENTOmology is the study of bugs.  ENYmology isn't anything.  ETYmology is the
study of word roots.  And your verb quibble looks a lot like a typo in the
original announcement, to me.
,

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