The Last Machine Breaker – An Opera on Luddites, AI and Revolution
Cause & Effect delivered PR for a radical new opera exploring Yorkshire’s revolutionary past and AI future. Achieving coverage in The Guardian and regional and local media, including BBC Radio Leeds.
The opera tackled one of the greatest existential questions of our time — the rise of artificial intelligence — by drawing inspiration from Yorkshire’s revolutionary history.
The Last Machine Breaker: An Opera on Luddites, AI and Revolution was the brainchild of acclaimed Yorkshire composer Ben Crick and librettist Kamal Kaan, commissioned by the Bradford Opera Festival and funded by Arts Council England.
Following the Festival’s phenomenal success with a Yorkshire dialect version of The Barber of Seville, this new work sought to attract new audiences to opera by telling a uniquely Northern story that posed a powerful, timely question:
Will progress be humanity’s salvation or its downfall?
The Story
Set across two centuries, The Last Machine Breaker intertwined parallel narratives exploring the politics of progress and the cost of innovation.
• In 2030, tech entrepreneur Eva created a humanoid AI, Adam, capable of thought, emotion, and desire — a nod to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, itself influenced by the Luddites.
• In 1813, projected digitally on stage, Luddite leader George Mellor faced execution for leading the uprising against mechanisation during the Industrial Revolution.
These two worlds converged to ask urgent questions about who benefits from technological change — and who pays the price.
Yorkshire at the Heart of the Revolution
Crick, who has earned acclaim for championing stories of the North through innovative classical music, described the opera as his most personal project to date.
“We’re asking ourselves the same questions the Luddites asked — this time about AI replacing our labour market,” said Ben. “The North has always been a centre of industry and innovation. It should be front and centre in addressing these existential questions about AI and the future.”
Performances took place across Yorkshire, including at the North of England Centre for Music & Arts in Marsden, considered the birthplace of the Luddites, where both the machines — and the hammers that destroyed them — were made.
“I’m from Huddersfield. I’m steeped in this story from my youngest memories. This is all activity that happened within walking distance of where I was born.”
Innovation in Opera
Directed by Alex Chisholm, the opera pushed boundaries in both form and theme.
“This opera is about the Luddites and about now: who gets to benefit from technology and who gets to pay?” said Alex. “Ben and Kamal’s piece told an important Northern story – pushing forward what opera can do, and who gets to experience it.”
The production featured a propulsive score by Crick, a libretto by Kaan (Bangla Bantams, Perfume), and was performed in accessible community spaces with affordable tickets to make opera available to all.
“Opera should be topical and relevant,” said Ben. “Let’s not leave it in the ownership of the elite. Classical music is for everyone.”
Extending the Conversation
To deepen engagement, the creative team hosted a mini-symposium at Mind the Gap, Leeds, inviting artists, technologists, and creatives to explore the relationship between AI and creativity.
“AI is here, and it’s coming,” said Ben. “It will create art — and get better at it. But the machines can only replicate what’s gone before. It’s up to us creators to innovate, to do what hasn’t been done before.”
About Bradford Opera Festival
Founded to make opera in Bradford, for Bradford, in a Bradford way, the Bradford Opera Festival produces both reimagined classics and bold new works. Its mission is to make opera accessible, entertaining, and rooted in the community — proving that opera can be for everyone.
From Ice Cream: The Opera in 2017 to the celebrated Barber of Seville in Yorkshire, the Festival has continued to grow a loyal audience eager for innovation, storytelling, and local pride.
Bradford is the home of revolutions – join the opera revolution to make the fantastical performances of the future.