Staged Reading of R.U.R. to be Presented at Playwrights' Theatre of East Hampton
Upon its debut in 1921, it was the first play to introduce the word "robot" to theatrical audiences
In an era when artificial intelligence makes headlines seemingly every day, the time is right for the return of the play "R.U.R.," written by the Czech playwright Karel Čapek in 1920. It was a groundbreaking work upon its debut in 1921 as the first play to introduce the word "robot" to theatrical audiences, and by 1923, the play had been translated into 30 languages.
At LTV Studios, Playwrights' Theatre of East Hampton will feature a staged reading of the play "R.U.R." on Sunday, November 23. "R.U.R." is an abbreviation of the full title, "Rossumovi Univerzální Roboti," also known as "Rossum's Universal Robots" in English.
Josh Gladstone, LTV's creative director and interim executive director, is among the actors taking part in the reading.
"Theater has been around for a while. Stories have been told by firelight, footlights, and now beneath the LED fixtures overhanging the stage at LTV Studios," Gladstone said. "Will A.I. tell our stories going forward? Will humans still gather together in sacred 'third spaces' to imagine and feel? LTV was built on telling stories over 40 years ago by Frazer and Francis Ann Dougherty, followed by artists like the Pazers and their Playwrights' Theatre, which now takes a look at a hundred-year-old play that prophesied this crossroads moment."
The LTV production of "R.U.R." is being directed by John Kroft, a Juilliard-educated actor and director who made his directorial debut with "God of Carnage," also produced by Playwrights' Theatre, in May of 2025 at LTV.
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