A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Breaking the Code

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  2w, 7m

"Powerful, rivetting drama." - N.Y. Daily News.

"Elegant and poignant." - Time Magazine.

"The most important serious play of the season." - Christian Science Monitor.

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    2w, 7m

Details

Summary
Derek Jacobi took London and Broadway by storm in this exceptional biographical drama about a man who broke too many codes: the eccentric genius Alan Turing who played a major role in winning the World War II; he broke the complex German code called Enigma, enabling allied forces to foresee German maneuvers. Since his work was classified top secret for years after the war, no one knew how much was owed to him when he was put on trial for breaking another code the taboo against homosexuality. Turing, who was also the first to conceive of computers, was convicted of the criminal act of homosexuality and sentenced to undergo hormone treatments which left him physically and mentally debilitated. He died a suicide, forgotten and alone. This play is about who he was, what happened to him and why.
  • Cautions
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

"Powerful, rivetting drama." - N.Y. Daily News.

"Elegant and poignant." - Time Magazine.

"The most important serious play of the season." - Christian Science Monitor.

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $130 per performance

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Authors

Hugh Whitemore

Hugh Whitemore was born in 1936. He studied for the stage at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art where he later became a member of the Council. He began his writing career in British television (contributing to The Wednesday Play, Armchair Theatre and Play for Today) and twic ...
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