A creation story for the end of time.
Friday, 3 July 2026 to Saturday, 18 July 2026, 7pm - 9.30pm
In 1920, playwright Karel Čapek imagined a world of AI and rebellion, inspiring and influencing a century of sci-fi cinema. 100 years later, Headlong reawakens his visionary play R.U.R. as ROBOTA – high-voltage theatre for the age of artificial intelligence.
In a not-too-distant future the Rossum Corporation has done the impossible: created machines indistinguishable from humans. Built to serve, programmed to obey and ready to be rolled out worldwide.
But when idealistic activist Helen gets involved, these perfect workers begin to dream of freedom and the system starts to glitch. As the line between human and machine blurs, how do we hold on to our humanity?
Blending origin story with sci-fi, myth with machine, this is a smart, timely and often funny look at what it means to truly be alive. Following Headlong's “fascinating” (Financial Times) reinvention of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, this is an intriguing new take on a Czech classic.
About ROBOTA
Written by Ella Road (Black Mirror/Dr Who) this adaptation takes Capek’s prescient text and fuses it with cutting edge academic research and a wickedly dark sense of humour.
Directed by Roy Alexander Weise (The Hot Wing King at the National Theatre, Much Ado About Nothing at The RSC) and designed by Loren Elstein , ROBOTA offers a provocative glimpse into the future.
The show will be the first fullscale production in the Schwarzman Centre’s theatre with a bold new take on the play that gave us the word “robot.”
ROBOTA collides theatre, Sci-Fi, and philosophy in a thrilling exploration of power, progress and what really makes us human.
There is a BSL interpreted performance on Saturday 11 July, 2pm and an Audio-described and Captioned performance on Saturday 18 July, 2pm. You can find out more information on accessibility at the Schwarzman and how to apply for our access card.
Venue:
Schwarzman Centre
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Radcliffe Observatory Quarter Woodstock Road OX2 6GG
Host: Headlong and Schwarzman Centre
Register here: https://www.schwarzmancentre.ox.ac.uk/whats-on/robota-fcxq