Breaking the Code by Hugh Whitemore
Directed by Anton Krause
Auditions: Sunday 10th April, 6pm, Monday 11th & Tuesday 12th April, 8pm, 2011
Performances: Tuesday 16th to Saturday 20th August, 2011, Prompt Corner
Alan Turing was a brilliant mathemetician, who became an obvious choice to join the code breaking team at Bletchley Park at the height of WWII, when the German U-boats were placing a strangle-hold on the seas around Britain. Turing made a major contribution the the breaking of the Enigma codes which, among other tactical advantages, allowed our navy to track and destroy the U-boats before Britain could be starved into submission. This and his work on artificial intelligence and computing machinery led him to be considered one of the fathers of modern computing.
Unfortunately he never got to see the technological revolutions that his work helped to kick-start. Following a routine police investigation into a burglary to his house in 1952 Turing let slip that Arnold Murray, who he suspected of being involved in the crime, had been a sexual partner of his. Homosexuality was still illegal in Britain and Turing broke the code of modern society by not only indulging in but not being ashamed of his true nature.
His treatment following this transgression is a particularly shameful event in recent British history for which our government finally offered a posthumous apology in 2009.
Cast (ages are all approximate)
Alan Turing, male, 35–45
Detective Sergeant Mick Ross, male 30–40
Sara Turing, female 40–50
Ron Miller, male, 20–30
Dillwyn Knox, male, 55–65
Pat Green, female, 25–35
Christopher Morcom, male, 15–19
John Smith, male, 40–50
Nikos, male, 18–22
For more details, please contact Anton Krause, Director
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