National Arts Centre - Centre national des Arts Canada is our stage. Le Canada en scène.

R.U.R. A Torrent of Light

Tapestry Opera Toronto

Composed by Nicole Lizée
Libretto by Nicolas Billon
Directed by Michael Hidetoshi Mori

R.U.R. A Torrent of Light is a groundbreaking, immersive operatic experience exploring humanity's relationship to technology, from our present-day realities of disparity and injustice, the hoarding of knowledge, and the rapid acceleration of robotics.

Built around an innovative design partnership with OCAD University, the story unfolds 20 years in the future, where Artificial Intelligence is embedded deeply into everyday life. When humanoid AI start to prioritize their own learning over their creators’ instructions, the inventors realize they’ve reached a turning point for which humanity may not be ready.

Inspired by Karel Capek’s 1920’s science-fiction play Rossum’s Universal Robots, R.U.R. A Torrent of Light asks big questions about technological innovation and ethics, and the risks we accept and ignore when we invite artificial intelligence so deeply into our lives.

Company

Founded in 1979, Tapestry Opera is the only Canadian company solely dedicated to the creation, development, and performance of original Canadian opera, and is the most prolific commissioner of new Canadian opera.

Based in Toronto, Tapestry Opera has a mandate to create powerful opera that reflects and changes the world around us bringing together art forms, creators, and communities to create boundary-pushing art. To date, the company has produced 18 world premieres of full-length Canadian works and 160 world premieres of opera shorts.

Creative team

Composed by Nicole Lizée
Libretto by Nicolas Billon
Directed by Michael Hidetoshi Mori
Lighting design Michelle Ramsay
Sound design Debashis Sinha
Projection design Cameron Davis

National Creation Fund investment

The National Creation Fund’s investment of $180,000 supported additional workshops to create a deeper integration between the auditory technology, the action on stage and the integration of the technology created by OCAD students, and the addition of a chorus of dancers.