Co-artistic director Scott Alan Evans stages the English translation by Paul Selver and Nigel Playfair at Florence Gould Hall. The production ends the 12th season.
In R.U.R., "a mechanized world turns on its human creators," according to TACT. "Eerily relevant in our technologically advanced age, this futuristic drama brought the word 'robot' into the world lexicon."
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According to TACT notes, "Karl Capek (1890-1938) is considered one of the greatest Czech writers of novels, short stories and plays. The play was written in 1920 and staged in 1921 at the National Theatre of Prague, in a time when a world war had just been fought, old political institutions were being toppled and new social reforms were rising. The inspiration for the play came from this dramatically shifting social landscape and from Capek's dismay at the prospects of an ever greater mechanized labor force."
Kapek said, "Industrialism causes each to lose his individuality." After its first performance on Broadway in October 1922, R.U.R. was revived on Broadway in December 1942.
The R.U.R. cast includes TACT company members Nora Chester, Kelly Hutchinson, James Murtaugh, Gregory Salata, Scott Schafer, Ashley West and David Staller, as well as guest artists Tony Aylward, Rob Breckenridge, Chris Kipiniak, Josh Renfree and Victor Slezak.
The production team includes Jorge Arroyo (lighting design) and Marcus Paus (original music). Noelle Font will serve as Production Stage Manager.
Florence Gould Hall is at the French Institute Alliance Français, 55 East 59th Street. Performances play April 30 at 7:30 PM; May 1 at 2 PM and May 2 at 7:30 PM.
Tickets are $20 and may be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at (212) 307-4100. Tickets can also be purchased at the Florence Gould Hall box office.
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TACT (Scott Alan Evans, Cynthia Harris, Simon Jones — co-artistic directors) "celebrates language, the actor, and the spoken word. Founded by professional actors in 1992, TACT is dedicated to presenting neglected or rarely performed plays of literary merit with a focus on creating theatre from its essence: the text and the actor's ability to bring it to life."
Co-artistic director Scott Alan Evans says "Our Concert Performance form of presentation allows us to re-focus the emphasis of the drama away from spectacle and production values and back to the words and the actor - creating theatre in its purest form. Most important, we offer these great plays and outstanding performances at an affordable ticket price."
For more information, visit www.TACTnyc.org.
