ROBOTA: THE SCHWARZMAN CENTRE FOR THE HUMANITIES
Theatre Production
The Brief
To provide production management for Headlong and the Schwarzman Centre's world-premiere production of ROBOTA, Ella Road's contemporary reimagining of Karel Čapek's seminal science-fiction classic R.U.R. Directed by Roy Alexander Weise, the production became the first full-scale theatrical production staged in the new Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, Oxford, transforming a state-of-the-art academic venue into an ambitious theatrical environment exploring the ethical and human implications of artificial intelligence.
Specialisms
- Production Management
- Art Department
- Scenic Fabrication
- Sustainable Production Delivery
Project Highlights
- Delivered full production management for the inaugural large-scale theatre production in the Schwarzman Centre's new theatre, developing workflows and operational solutions for a venue being used for theatrical performance at scale for the first time.
- Managed the fabrication and delivery of complex scenic elements, working closely with designer Loren Elstein's vision to create an expansive environment featuring integrated scenic structures, water effects, elevated platforms and multi-level performance areas that fully utilised the venue's capabilities.
- Completed a significant programme of scenic construction within our in-house workshop, employing a wide range of fabrication methods, finishing techniques and bespoke scenic solutions to achieve the production's distinctive futuristic aesthetic.
- Supported Headlong's commitment to achieving Theatre Green Book Advanced Standard, embedding sustainability into production planning from the earliest stages. The project utilised carbon-conscious decision-making, prioritised reused materials and future reuse pathways, tracked production travel impacts and incorporated measurable sustainability targets across scenic, prop and costume departments.
- Helped realise a critically recognised production described by WhatsOnStage as a visually ambitious staging where the Schwarzman Theatre was transformed into a theatrical "toybox" of trapdoors, water features, scaffolding and immersive performance spaces.
