"One of the things that attracted
me to this play has to do with the
recent search for the outstanding
person of the 20th century and all
the talk about who changed the
world the most in the last 100
years, says David Magidson, direc-
tor and WSU theater professor.
-
"There were names like Albert
Einstein and Louis Pasteur as well as
Alan Turing, who was not heard of
in the way that we heard of the oth-
ers. I went on the Internet looking
for things about him and found
[considerable information].
"The tension of his situation —
somebody pretty much responsible
for the way we're going to live for
the next 100 years and at the same
time rejected by society — interest-
ed me."
Breaking the Code dramatizes the
public and private challenges faced
by Turing during his 32 years. It'
weaves in and out of time, exploring
his relationships with his mother, co-
workers, friends and lovers and
touches upon the different phases of
his achievements and frustrations.
"This play is also an adventure and
detective story," says Magidson, who
has served on the board of directors of
the Jewish Ensemble Theatre. "There
are two levels — how to break the
code and how to develop what Turing
calls 'a thinking machine.'"
After spending most of his young
life in English schools while his father
had a civil service job in India, Turing
entered King's College, Cambridge,
and was able to explore his own ideas,
some of which brought academic
awards. He went to Princeton
University as a graduate student.
Turing expressed his idea for a
computer While at Princeton and start-
ed to build a device after returning to
England. His work took a new direc-
tion when he was asked by Churchill
to try breaking the German codes, and
he spent time consulting about his
findings in the United States.
After being arrested for violation of
British homosexuality statutes in
1952, his security clearance was with-
drawn, and he soon was found dead of
poisoning. Family questioned whether
the scandal was responsible for his
death.
"The law under which Turing
was prosecuted is the same one that
sent Oscar Wilde to jail," Magidson
says. "Afterward, [Turing] was cut off
from any meaningful work in his pro-
fession. At the center of the produc-
tion is the question of what society is
Director David Magidson:
the
center of the production is the question
of what society is willing to give
up for its prejudices."
willing to give up for its prejudices."
Although this play is not specifically
Jewish, Magidson believes that it will
resonate with Jewish audiences because
it addresses the impact of prejudice.
"There are many issues brought up
by the play that have application
today," Magidson says. "Homosexuals
as clergy and same-sex marriages are
subjects that are very controversial,
and the way society deals with them is
important to Jewish thinkers.
"The codes in this play are a
metaphor for what society can set
up, what can be unwittingly broken
and what can cause trouble at any
time."
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Breaking the Code will play
in rotating repertory through
April 8 at the Hilberry Theatre
at Wayne State University. It
opens this weekend, with per-
formances at 8 p.m. Friday and
Saturday, Feb. 11-12.
Additional performances are
scheduled for 8 p.m.
Thursdays-Saturdays, Feb. 17-
19, March 2-4 and April 6-8.
Matinees, at 2 p.m., will be
performed Wednesday, Feb. 16;
and Saturdays, Feb. 9, March 4
and April 8. Tickets are $11-
$18; student "rush" tickets, at
$7, go on sale the day of the
performance. Special discounts
are available for groups of 20 or
more. (313) 577-2972.
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