The idea seemed like a joke at first, then it became a weird dare and, finally, it surrendered to acceptance.
These were the steps Sideshow Theatre took toward its decision to stage Elizabeth Meriwether’s “Heddatron.” The work is an off-kilter interpretation of Henrik Ibsen’s “Hedda Gabler” that features mechanical robots working alongside the actors. It’s one of three plays included in this season’s Garage Rep at Steppenwolf Theatre.
“We decided to go big with this show or go home,” said Sideshow Theatre artistic director Jonathan L. Green.
Meriwether uses the classic drama as a jumping-off point for a story about a depressed Michigan housewife (Nina O’Keefe) who is kidnapped by a clan of renegade robots and whisked off to the South American rain forest, where she is forced to perform the title role in a “mechanical” version of the play. Meanwhile, her family mounts a search party and, in a parallel world, Ibsen struggles to write his masterpiece.
To make it even more interesting, “Heddatron” features working robots created by ChiBots, the Chicago Area Robotics Group. The organization is made up of local robot fans of all ages and backgrounds. Green said he wanted to “work with a local [robot design] group to make a local production.”
ChiBots executive president Salvador Garcia was intrigued after receiving Green’s e-mail inquiry.
“One of our missions is to make robots accessible to everyone,” Garcia said. “And this seemed a great way to show what we can do.”
Green admits he didn’t know what to expect from the robot designers.
“I thought we would have metal structures duck-taped to battery-operated cars,” Green said, laughing. “But these are more functional than I ever dreamed. I’m in awe of the work they’ve done.”
ChiBots engineers worked with theater designers to create the 10 robots used in the show. Five are written into the script and the company added five more critterbots, rodent-sized robots that skitter around the rain forest floor.
The robots are animated by remote controls operated by company members sitting in the audience. There are two reasons for this openness, according to Green.
“The operators need to be able to see the robots as they are manipulating them,” he said. “And it’s a sort of electronic puppetry, and, like in a lot of puppetry, we didn’t want to hide the controller. It enriches the experience for the audience.”
There’s a lot going on in the 80-minute “Heddatron” that is “fairly dark,” Green said. But it’s not all doom and gloom.
“Yes, there’s a desperation in it that spoke to us,” Green said. “But there’s also a humorous side to it that adds to the play’s rich texture.”
Being chosen as part of the Garage Rep is a coveted position for area storefront theaters. Designed to showcase new plays and new artists, the Rep offers younger companies an opportunity for a higher profile.
“The people at Steppenwolf have acted as a mentor to us and encouraged us to grow and not rest on our laurels,” Green said. “These world-renowned artists are treating us as colleagues. It’s thrilling and a challenge we were ready for.”
Also in the Garage Rep are the Strange Tree Group’s “The Three Faces of Doctor Crippen,” Emily Schwartz’s macabre tale about a famous criminal investigation, and Urban Theater’s “Sonnets for an Old Century,” a dramatic dreamscape by Jose Rivera filled with monologues from the recently deceased. All three shows open Feb. 27 and continue in rotating repertory through March 24 at the Steppenwolf Garage Theatre, 1624 N. Halsted. For tickets ($20; three-play pass $45), call (312) 335-1650; steppenwolf.org.