Photo: Kiriko Mechanicus
Orito
Performance information
Expected in 2027
Duration of performance: 75 minutes
This robot opera research project by Ulrike Quade Company, in collaboration with opera director Lisenka Heijboer-Castanon and composer Stephanie Pan, is inspired by Orito, a character in David Mitchell’s novel ‘The Unanswered Prayers of Jacob de Zoet’.
In the book, Orito is a midwife and the only non-prostitute admitted to the United East India Company trading post on the Japanese island of Dejima. She is taken to a convent to assist with births. When she discovers the grim fate of the children she helps bring into the world, she decides to fight back.
‘An act of feminine imagination’
Our interpretation explores existential questions about life and reimagines the future of society. At its core, Orito is an act of feminine imagination, featuring five fem performers, a Bunraku-inspired puppet and a KUKA robot.
Stephanie Pan’s new composition treats the KUKA as a musical instrument, mixing expressive voices, synths, industrial beats and machine sounds into a soundscape that is both powerful and delicate.
Audience quotes
“A true spectacle that enchants, and at the same time offers space to think and feel”
“It’s nice to learn to look at industrial robotics differently.”
“It’s so special to use the sounds of a KUKA robot as a musical instrument.”
Tour dates
Agenda
Expected in 2027
Credits
Director: Ulrike Quade
Co-Director: Lisenka Heijboer
Assistant Director: Loulou Sjerps
Dramaturge: Maaike Bleeker
Composition, Musical Direction: Stephanie Pan
Scenography: Hendrik Walther
Lighting Design: Floriaan Ganzevoort
Puppets: Hiroko Igeta, Watanabe Kazunori
Performers: Jolanda van den Berg, Anat Spiegel, Rox(ana) Verwey, Ishtar Bakhtali, Roberta Maimone
Production: Isha Plug
Technical Production: Niels Runderkamp
Production Manager: Isha Plug
Robotics: Rick van Dugteren
Lighting: Titus Duitshof
Sound: Jaap Schledorn
A production by Ulrike Quade Company
Made possible by
Photo: Daan Colijn
‘By bringing together science, technology and art, we are creating a powerful space for innovation – one that challenges societal norms and opens new perspectives on the issues that define our world today.’
– Ulrike Quade
