Breaking the Code - Programme, 1992
Title
Breaking the Code - Programme, 1992
Date
7 September 1992
Description
Full programme for Breaking the Code by Hugh Whitemore, starring Derek Jacobi.
What's the story?
Based on Alan Turing: The Enigma, the 1983 biography by Alan Hodges, Breaking the Code was first produced in 1986 and examines the life and work of British mathematician Alan Turing. It combines his role at Bletchley Park during World War Two to break the German Enigma code and his pioneering work in computing, alongside his attempts to grapple with his homosexuality.
Turing was prosecuted in 1952 for homosexual acts, at that time a criminal offence in the UK. He accepted chemical castration treatment as an alternative to prison and died two years later in 1954
It took until 2013 and an internet campaign for Turing to be granted an official pardon for the way he was treated and full recognition for his ground-breaking work in computer science.
The production of Breaking the Code was a success in both London and New York, where Derek Jacobi won a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. It was role that Jacobi was to continue for several years afterwards, evidenced by this 1992 touring production.
Hugh Whitemore’s programme notes also provide an insight into the struggles of producing a new work and how regional theatres are used to test out work before a London run … “safely hidden from the scrutiny of the London critics”.
Whilst not applicable in this case, the Theatre Royal Nottingham has been in this position many times, such as Luther in 1961, Expresso Bongo in 1958 and revivals of The Importance of Being Earnest in 2015 and A Long Day’s Journey Into Night in 2012.
Turing was prosecuted in 1952 for homosexual acts, at that time a criminal offence in the UK. He accepted chemical castration treatment as an alternative to prison and died two years later in 1954
It took until 2013 and an internet campaign for Turing to be granted an official pardon for the way he was treated and full recognition for his ground-breaking work in computer science.
The production of Breaking the Code was a success in both London and New York, where Derek Jacobi won a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. It was role that Jacobi was to continue for several years afterwards, evidenced by this 1992 touring production.
Hugh Whitemore’s programme notes also provide an insight into the struggles of producing a new work and how regional theatres are used to test out work before a London run … “safely hidden from the scrutiny of the London critics”.
Whilst not applicable in this case, the Theatre Royal Nottingham has been in this position many times, such as Luther in 1961, Expresso Bongo in 1958 and revivals of The Importance of Being Earnest in 2015 and A Long Day’s Journey Into Night in 2012.
Type
Programme
Location of item
Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall Nottingham
Rights
Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall Nottingham
Contributor
Researcher: David Longford
