ROBOTA
A creation story for the end of time.
A production by Headlong and the Schwarzman Centre
3 – 18 July 2026
Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, Oxford
In 1920, playwright Karel Čapek imagined a world of A.I. 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 our “fascinating” (Financial Times ⭐⭐⭐⭐) reinvention of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, ROBOTA is an intriguing new take on a Czech classic.
MORE 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.
We are honoured to be opening the Schwarzman Centre’s theatre space with a bold new take on the play that gave us the word “robot.”
Created with Oxford University’s new Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, ROBOTA collides theatre, Sci-Fi, and philosophy in a thrilling exploration of power, progress and what really makes us human.
IN THE Rehearsal Room
Access Performances
Saturday 11th July - 2pm - BSL interpreted. Watch the BSL flyer here.
Saturday 18th July - 2pm - Audio Described and Captioned. Hear the audio flyer here.
Panel Discussion Events
Drawing out some key themes of the production, and its cultural context, these events offer a deeper dive into the development of the show and the stories it tells.
These events are free to all ROBOTA ticket holders, but should be booked in advance.
AI: New Narratives, New Futures - Friday 10th July, 5pm
Lost in Translation: Creating theatre for English speaking audiences in translation - Wednesday 15th July, 5pm
CAST
Ronkẹ Adékọluẹ́jọ́ is HELEN
Ian Drysdale is BUSMAN
Trevor Fox is DOM / MARIUS
Tiffany Gray is SULLA
Umi Myers is ROBOT HELEN / SECURITY
Irfan Shamji is ALI
Creative team
ROBOTA
by Ella Road, adapted from “Rossum’s Universal Robots” by Karel Čapek
Writer - Ella Road
Director - Roy Alexander Weise
Set & Costume Designer - Loren Elstein
Composers & Sound Designers - Dan Balfour & Max Perryment
Lighting Designer - Sally Ferguson
Movement Director - Sarita Piotrowski
Voice and Dialect - Gurkiran Kaue
Fight Director - Haruka Kuroda
Associate Director - Tramaine Trace
Costume Supervisor - Sophea Liles Bailey
Props Supervisor - Anna Snow
Dramaturg - Frank Peschier
Casting Director - Becky Paris CDG
Company Stage Manager - Joni Carter
Deputy Stage Manager - Robyn-Amber Manners
Assistant Stage Manager - Shuyin Wang
Go Deep
Artwork by studio DOUGFilm by Tea Films
