1997
Shows
Last | Next
Texts
was based on the plays of Christopher Marlowe, Johanne Goethe and Gertrude Stein. We also incorporated a recorded reading of R.U.R. by Karel Capek - an early twentieth century story of robots. We used video and sound sampled from crowded streets and marketplaces. The piece was for two performer/technicians, video projectors, slide projection, digital imaging and computer.
The show was launched with a short run at the Cheltenham Everyman Theatre followed by a national tour.
Some questions and answers posed during the rehearsals for the show... Isn't this straight theatre?
No, we haven't changed our approach that far; we're just interested in the story of Faustus and think it still has relevance. We will be borrowing from Marlowe and Goethe, and building the whole thing around a 'radio' version of R.U.R, the 1921 play by Karel Capek, as a means of using the story of a man who sells his soul to say some things about robots and the development of our understanding of them. These might seem like fairly disparate texts to use, but they share similar structures and a theme of over-reaching ambition. The show is for two live performers, with an input from various on-line 'performers' communicating with the live event via IRC.
What's it got to do with new technology?
1921...the word 'robot' entered the language
R.U.R is chosen to provide a historical context for our concerns with robots.
Faustus is a device to say things about knowledge, power, choice and responsibility. The historic notions of heaven and hell paralell neatly with contemporary experiences of fake spaces offered by new technology. If this looks a bit contrived, then note the excerpt from British Telecom's Soulcatcher 2025 project.
We are intrigued by this - not just for the idea that we can keep all our memories in an instantly retrievable and unforgettable format but for BT's choice of name, the idea that this is the content of our soul.
Soulcatcher 2025
