Rossum's Universal Robots

In 2010, billionaire Harry Domin has it good -- he lives on his own private island, manufacturing humanoid robots, his every need met. By 2020, the robots are ubiquitous around the world, even as the human birth rate has plummeted. But will they continue to be obedient?

Our production is a rebirth for this forgotten classic play, with a new modern-language translation that sets the story in an alternate-history 21st century, in which the Universal Robot is introduced to society around the same time as the iPhone. The Rossum's Universal Robots company is just another Silicon Valley giant, supplying robots by the millions to every private home, company, and national army in the world.

This futuristic thriller, exploring the ethics and decision-making behind robotics and artificial intelligence, screams out with relevance in the wake of today’s AI tech revolution, asking why we insist upon creating technology in our own image. R.U.R. tells the story of humanity’s last day, with a small, dynamic ensemble of 7 actors and a 100 minute runtime.

Don't miss this re-imagination of the thrilling and prophetic 1920 play that introduced the word "robot" to the world, and the original inspiration behind everything from Ex Machina to Children of Men.

Poster art by Claire Talbott

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Firebird is an arts production company and education program founded by Leo Lion in 2013, as New York’s first teen-run professional theater, Firebird Youth Theater. Since then, Firebird has produced 11 original theater productions and offered a variety of year-round performing arts classes and summer camps to a wide community of young artists. Our work has been covered in the New York Times, Huffington Post, TDF Stages, and received national-level awards from National Youth Arts. This year, in honor of Firebird’s 10th anniversary, we’re proud to be opening the doors of our indie production wing for emerging artists, Firebird Players, with Rossum's Universal Robots as the opening production of a new era.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Alchemical Studios, 50 West 17th Street, New York, United States