Pahrump Theatre Company Stages Capek's R.U.R., Tesla-Inspired Modern Tech Production

Pahrump Theatre Company will open its revival of Karel Čapek’s R.U.R. Rossum’s Universal Robots on Friday, Feb. 20, at the Calvada Theater, running on weekend evenings through Sunday, March 1, 2026; tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and veterans, and $5 for youth, with each performance running approximately two hours and recommended for teens and adults. Pahrump Theatre Company asks, "What happens when humanity builds something designed to serve us perfectly and then loses control of it?"

The company bills the staging as a "Tesla‑inspired revival" that "brings R.U.R. to life with a sleek, high energy approach inspired by modern tech culture and innovation," tying the 1920s play that introduced the word "robot" to contemporary debates over automation and labor. Pvtimes noted that "despite being more than a century old, this play still resonates with relevance in a world of ever-advancing technology," and Pahrump Theatre Company’s synopsis foregrounds the play’s exploration of "automation, free will, labor, and what it really means to be human."

Leading the cast is Eric Coleman, identified by the Pahrump Valley Times as the paper's own cartoonist and stepping into his first starring role as Harry Domin. Coleman said, "I reckon that with any creative endeavor, if you have the capacity to do it and don’t, it’s lost potential, lost energy," and added, "Not doing something you’ve been thinking about gnaws on you, on your subconscious." Coleman described Harry Domin as "a confident tech bro" who "goes off the rails in the second act and starts drinking hard and seeing ghosts," and said, "It’s impressive how many things Karel got right about the future."

Coleman noted an important creative choice in the local production, saying, "Oliver has added another wrinkle by pushing it even further and setting it in space." The Pahrump Valley Times report quotes Coleman but does not provide a full name or production title for "Oliver," and the Pahrump Theatre Company promotional copy on its site did not list a director credit in the snippets made available to the press.

Supporting cast details in local coverage are limited; Coleman referred to Pearl Seeback as the actor playing President Glory’s daughter, saying, "A visit by President Glory’s daughter, played by the amazing Pearl Seeback, changes the environment and the trajectory of the humans that work at the factory." Pahrump Theatre Company’s season calendar places R.U.R. in February between a Pahrump‑inspired Tiny Tim’s Christmas Carol in December and a spring production called Godspin.

Tickets and additional schedule information are available through Pahrump Theatre Company’s website and the company's ticketing outlets; the organization’s promotional materials include a "Get Tickets" call to action and the production is listed on ticketing platforms used by the company. The theater’s social posts include a January 9 entry using hashtags such as #pahrump and #rur. Local reporting and the theater’s own copy leave several items unconfirmed in publicity materials: a full cast list, complete production credits including the identity and role of "Oliver," detailed weekend showtimes between Feb. 20 and Mar. 1, and accessibility accommodations. The Pahrump Valley Times preview and Pahrump Theatre Company materials supplied the dates, pricing, quotes and production descriptions summarized here.