Part 6

PRIMUS. Yes, I know. (_Crosses to L. of table L.C._) Look, Helena.

HELENA. All these little tubes. What does he do with them?

PRIMUS. He experiments. Don’t touch them.

HELENA. I’ve seen him looking into this.

PRIMUS. That is a microscope.

HELENA. Look, Primus, what are all these figures? (_Turns a page in book on table._)

PRIMUS. (_Examining the book_) That is the book the old man is always reading. (_SUNRISE._)

HELENA. I do not understand those things. (_Goes to window_) Primus.

PRIMUS. (_Still at table_) What?

HELENA. The sun is rising.

PRIMUS. (_Still reading_) I believe this is the most important thing in the world, Helena. This is the secret of life.

HELENA. Oh, Primus, don’t bother with the secret of life. What does it matter to you? Come and look quick.

PRIMUS. (_Goes to R. of window_) What is it?

HELENA. See how beautiful the sun is rising. I feel so strange today. It’s as if I was in a dream. I feel an aching in my body, in my heart, all over me. Primus, perhaps I’m going to die.

PRIMUS. Do you not sometimes feel that it would be better to die? You know, perhaps even now we are only sleeping. Last night in my sleep I again spoke to you.

HELENA. In your sleep?

PRIMUS. Yes. We spoke a strange new language.

HELENA. What about?

PRIMUS. I did not understand it myself, and yet I know I have never said anything more beautiful. And when I touched you I could have died. Even the place was different from any other place in the world.

HELENA. I, too, have found a place, Primus. It is very strange. Human beings dwelt there once, but now it is overgrown with weeds.

PRIMUS. What did you find there?

HELENA. A cottage and a garden and two dogs. They licked my hands, Primus, and their puppies. Oh, Primus, take them in your arms and fondle them and think of nothing and care for nothing else all day long, and when I am there in the garden I feel there may be something-- What am I for, Primus?

PRIMUS. I do not know, but you are beautiful.

HELENA. What, Primus?

PRIMUS. You are beautiful, Helena, and I am stronger than all the Robots.

HELENA. Am I beautiful? Of what _use_ is it to be beautiful? Look, your head is different from mine. So are your shoulders--and your lips. Oh, your hair is mussed. I will smooth it. (_Keeps her hand on his head_) No one else feels to my touch as you do.

PRIMUS. (_Embarrassing her_) Do you not sometimes feel your heart beating suddenly, Helena, and think how something must happen?

HELENA. What could happen to us, Primus? Look at yourself. (_Laughs._)

ALQUIST. (_Awakes_) Laughter? Laughter, human beings. (_Getting up_) Who has returned? Who are you?

PRIMUS. The Robot Primus.

ALQUIST. (_To HELENA_) What? A Robot? Who are you?

HELENA. The Robotess Helena. (_Shies away L._)

ALQUIST. What? You are timid, shy? (_Starts to touch her_) Let me see you, Robotess.

PRIMUS. Sir, do not frighten her. (_Steps forward._)

ALQUIST. What, you would protect her? Laughter--timidity--protection--I must test you further. Take the girl into the dissecting room.

PRIMUS. Why?

ALQUIST. I wish to experiment on her.

PRIMUS. Upon--Helena?

ALQUIST. Of course. Don’t you hear me? Or must I call _someone else_ to take her in?

PRIMUS. If you do, I will kill you. (_Steps toward ALQUIST._)

(_WARN Curtain._)

ALQUIST. Kill me--kill me, then. What will your future be?

PRIMUS. Sir, take me. I am made on the same day as she is. Take my life, sir. (_Step to ALQUIST._)

HELENA. No, no, you shall not.

ALQUIST. Wait, girl, wait. (_To PRIMUS_) Do you not wish to live, then?

PRIMUS. Not without her. I will not live without her.

ALQUIST. Very well, I will use _you_. Into the dissecting room with you.

HELENA. Primus. Primus. (_She bursts into tears and moves R. ALQUIST stops her._)

ALQUIST. Child, child, you can weep. Tears. What is Primus to you? One Primus more or less in the world--what does it matter?

HELENA. I will go myself.

ALQUIST. Where? Into the dissecting room?

HELENA. (_Crosses to R._) Yes. In there--to be cut. (_PRIMUS stops her from going._) Let me pass, Primus, let me pass.

PRIMUS. You shall not go in there, Helena.

HELENA. If you go in there and I do not, I will kill myself.

PRIMUS. (_To ALQUIST_) I will not let you. Man you shall kill neither of us.

ALQUIST. Why?

PRIMUS. We--we--belong to each other.

ALQUIST. Go. (_Exit PRIMUS and HELENA L._) Adam--Eve.

CURTAIN

R. U. R.

PROPERTY LIST

Throughout: Dark grey carpet ground cloth.

ACT ONE

_Furniture_: 1 Desk. 1 Hat rack. 1 Swivel chair. 4 Plain office chairs--high back. 2 Low back chairs. 1 Typewriter table. 1 Couch. Cushions on all seats. 2 Cabinets.

_Properties on_ DOMIN’S _desk_: Flowers. Box candy. 1 Pad and blotter. 1 Letter opener. 1 Cigarette box. 1 Inkwell stand. 1 Practical buzzer (6 buttons). 1 Television. 1 Rubber stamp. 1 Pad of scrap paper. Typewritten letters. Telephone.

_On Typewriter Table_: Bottle paste. Typewriter. Paper (for letters).

OFF STAGE

_Off_ R.: 1 Silver card tray (MARIUS). 1 Apron (BUSMAN). 1 Napkin (ALQUIST).

_Off_ L.: 1 Fountain pen (for BUSMAN). 1 Telephone buzzer. 1 Siren whistle.

ACTS TWO AND THREE

_Furniture_: 1 Desk table. 1 Reading table. 1 Small oval table. 1 Table back of couch. 1 Blue armchair. 1 Armchair. 2 Straight chairs. 1 Fireplace. 1 Couch. 4 Pillows. Lace curtains on windows.

PROPERTIES

_On Desk_: 1 Pair binoculars. 1 Turquoise lamp (shade). 1 Telephone (same as Act I.) 1 China double inkwell. 1 Pen. Writing paper and envelopes. 5 _French Reviews_. 2 _London Times_. 1 _Bystander_. 5 English magazines.

_On Table_ L.C.: 2 Book ends (wooden). 5 French novels. 1 Lamp (wooden) with shade.

_On Table_ R.C.: 1 Brass match box (containing matches).

_At Fireplace_: 1 Burnt paper in fireplace (tacked). Small Robot doll. 2 Browning guns. 1 Poker.

OFF STAGE

_Off_ L.: 1 Brass tray (with handles). On tray: 1 Glass decanter with “Cognac.” 4 Brandy glasses. 3 Pots of flowers (for DOMIN, FABRY, HALLEMEIER). 2 Manifesto (for FABRY and HELENA). 1 Fountain pen (BUSMAN). 1 Box with pearls (for DOMIN). 1 Box with cameo (for DOMIN). 1 Pair of glasses for NANA. 1 Revolver. Electric card and switch box (FABRY). Rope and stick to bind RADIUS. 1 Large ledger for BUSMAN. 2 Knives for ROBOTS. 1 Piano.

_Off_ R.: Bundle of old papers (manuscripts). 3 Newspapers. 1 Loaded revolver.

_In Cellar_: 1 Pad--shots. 2 Cannons (loaded). 1 Wind machine. 1 Shot gun (loaded). 1 Tin Whistle.

EPILOGUE

_Furniture_: 1 Plain table. 1 Small table. 3 Chairs (1 same as armchair in 2nd and 3rd Acts). Same furniture as Act I. 1 Wall cabinet.

_On Plain Table_ R.C.: 3 Books. 2 Anatomy books. Papers. 1 Pencil. 1 Student lamp. 1 Microscope with glass plate. 8 Test tubes in wooden stand.

_On Small Table_ L.C.: 4 Drug bottles. 2 Large glass test bottles. 1 Scalpel.

SOUND EFFECT records for this play can be secured from Thomas J. Valentino, 729 Seventh Avenue, New York, N. Y.

R. U. R.

LIGHT PLOT

The foots consist of two sections numbering from Left to Right, 1 and 2 amber, blue and white. The first border consists of eleven 250-watt baby spots, placed about one and a half feet apart and numbered from 7 to 17.

Overhead X-rays consist of three sections containing the mediums: Blue, steel-blue, and frost.

At stage Left and up stage are 2 1000-watt baby spots on permanent stand.

At stage Right and up stage are 3 500-watt baby spots on permanent stands.

Back stage illumination consists of 5 1000-watt bunch lights hanging blue, and 5 1000-watt bunch lights hanging frost.

Off stage Left and up stage is a low stand lamp, 1000-watt amber.

Back stage on floor are 2 1000 bunch floor lamps of 1000-watt each to illuminate the back drop.

In Epilogue a Linnebach lamp (arc with glass slide) to throw silhouette of factory on back drop.

There are three practical table lamps.

In Act III a shaded reading lamp.

In Epilogue a desk lamp and a goose-neck.

There is a 1000 amber on red spot in fireplace to be used in Act II.

R. U. R.

LIGHT CUES

## Act I. Nothing.

## Act II. Fireplace on when NANA strikes match. Off when NANA says

“There, that’s the end of them.”

## Act III. (one) table lamp and #17 off at start of Act, on at cue from

FABRY: “Ah, they are there.” Off on “And they are working.”

(Two) Table lamp and #17 spot on at cue “Our people are still there”--off on cue “A torch to be handed from age to age, from hand to hand forever.”

(Three) Dim first-border spots #9, 10, and back stage hanging bunches on cue “Anything can be bought for half a billion.”

(Four) The table “lamp-out” second time works simultaneous with the black out on cue: “A torch to be handed from hand to hand, from age to age.” Everything is pulled out except #18 and 20 (deep blue).

(Five) With explosions in cellar the 2 1500-watt floor lamps at back (red) and brought up quickly to full and worked up and down quickly on dimmer until RADIUS enters, when they remain on full to end of Act.

EPILOGUE

A frost 1000-watt spot (frost) on stand off stage are lighted and blinded at rise. The blinds are opened when RADIUS exits. The light floods the room through door at R. The blinds are closed when the ROBOT exits on cue: “The Robots are stronger than you.”

With entrance of HELENA and PRIMUS the sunrise effect begins. Floor lamp and stand lamp up stage at Right, both amber.

With sunrise effect bring up #24 pink and #21 rose-pink. Foots up to 1/2 and overhead Xray (pink, frost, and steel-blue) full up.

When all this is up to mark, dim #17 to out.

[Illustration: SCENE DESIGN--ACT I R·U·R]

[Illustration: SCENE DESIGN--ACTS 2 & 3 R·U·R]

[Illustration: EPILOGUE SETTING SAME AS ACT I R·U·R]

TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES:

Italicized text is surrounded by underscores: _italics_.

Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.

Inconsistencies in end punctuation in stage directions have been retained from the original.

End of Project Gutenberg's R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots), by Karel Capek