Alienus, or Why Are Aliens Green? (2050) is a free adaptation of R.U.R. by the Čapek brothers, the piece that gave birth to the word ‘robot’ (from the Czech robota, meaning forced labour). A robotic arm, a pink dog and two humans explore radical otherness: welcoming the other—even a machine—without reducing them. Through subtle humour and the poetic reappropriation of industrial technologies, the play offers a creative resistance to the digital age, inviting us to adopt an ‘alien’ mindset where curiosity cures the fear of the unknown, of humanity, of the other, or of the extraterrestrial. What also interests me about this project is pushing the reflection on the notion of the other. The extraterrestrial, in our collective imagination, is the ultimate otherness: that which comes from elsewhere, that which we do not understand. But deep down, this otherness can be found everywhere: in artificial intelligence, in another animal species, or even in another human being.

With ‘Alienus’, I want to question this instinctive tendency to confront the unknown. Why do we always imagine that the arrival of a new form of intelligence or life would be a threat, rather than an opportunity to learn? On stage, we’ve taken the risk of showing a coexistence that wavers between tension and fascination. The robotic arm isn’t there to dominate, nor are the chatbot dogs there to obey. As for humans, they find themselves stripped of their usual certainty of superiority over machines. This imbalance creates a fruitful tension, a space for rediscovery.

There is also an ecological dimension to this reflection. When I speak of coexistence between different forms of intelligence, I am also referring to our relationship with other species on Earth. By 2050, perhaps the question will no longer be merely ‘How do we coexist with technology?’ but also ‘How do we coexist with non-human life?’. I believe that the performing arts have the power to open up the imagination.

With ‘Alienus’, I am trying to create a space where one can experience these questions in a sensitive, almost visceral way. Where the audience can ask themselves questions, not with ready-made answers, but with new sensations. It is a theatre of curiosity, of shared vulnerability between humans, machines and other forms of life. A possible future, where everyone learns to listen to one another without seeking to possess or dominate them. And perhaps, by imagining these fictional scenarios, we can sow the seeds to transform our present.