The LIDA Project

The Lida Project produces plays at the Laundry on Lawrence building. I saw their production of «R.U.R./lol» based on a piece from the 1920’s by Karl Capek. The play originated the word «robot» from a Czech word for «worker.» The allegorical import of this metaphor was not wasted on a modern civilization looking for a word to symbolize the plight of the 20^th Century corporate drone. The play, however, was forgotten… until reworked by this clever troupe.
Humanity is gone from the Earth, leaving only their sentient machines behind to wonder why the humans had abandoned them. You see, a huge solar flare is about to engulf the planet, scouring away humankind’s last vestige: our AI surrogates. The play is spartanly, yet masterfully staged with video projections of sci-​fi TV shows and movies. The 4 «robots» evoke humor at their plight. When they view old videos of their former human masters, they ask of the fleeting images, «Why have you forsaken us?» Here the play turns more pensive… the plight of the robots is very… poignant.
Yes, poignant! As in, «Evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret.»
Great production. Thank you VERY much.