William Shakespeare's plays have been reinterpreted in countless ways. But until now, robots have been rare players on the Shakespearean stage.

Quantum Theatre's production of "Cymbeline" is part of this summer's ongoing Robot 250 festival, in which artists and scientists collaborated to deploy robotic technology in new and creative ways.

Most of the Robot 250 projects fall into the visual arts category, such as the BigBots kinetic sculptures displayed in museums, galleries and public spaces in recent weeks. Quantum's foray into robotics incorporates the technology with the performing arts.

It's time to raise the spoiler flag here: Quantum artistic director Karla Boos doesn't want to reveal too much about how the robotic elements in "Cymbeline" will work.

The BigBot sculptures all challenged the common stereotype of the "mechanical man" robot. Don't expect to see one on stage with Quantum's actors. The robotics will play a role in how audiences interact with the play.

One Robot 250 goal is to use art and design to interest people in science and technology, and to expand the public view of what robots are and can be. "It challenges the definition of robots as something that senses. We project onto it mindful intent," Boos says.

Incorporating robotics into "Cymbeline" isn't all that far-fetched, Boos says. She was drawn to the play's fairy-tale elements and magical objects. "Cymbeline" was one of Shakespeare's last plays. "He breaks his own rules and experiments wildly," Boos says.

Boos worked with a team of roboticists, including Illah Nourbakhsh, associate professor at Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute and one of the founding forces behind Robot 250. They were familiar with Quantum's novel, experimental approach to theater and were eager to offer their expertise to the creative process. Boos says it was an enlightening collaboration: "The ways we solve problems are very similar. They're really big on empowering artists with expanded ideas on how we can use technology down the road."

There's another robot-inspired performance work on the horizon -- Squonk Opera's October production of "Astro-rama" -- that will feature a robot character and is also part of the Robot 250 arts lineup.