Theatre

Theater im Zimmer presents the first German-language production of THE TURING MACHINE by Benoît Solès

about the true story of a genius who changed the world.

The world premiere of THE TURING MACHINE at the Théâtre Michel in Paris, directed by Tristan Petitgirard in 2019, won four of the renowned “Molière” theatre awards: "Best Play", "Best Author", "Best Director" and "Best Actor"!

Alan Turing (1912–1954) was a visionary. The British mathematician, logician and cryptographer was one of the most outstanding scientists of the 20th century and is regarded as the father of the computer and of artificial intelligence. During the Second World War, he succeeded in building a “thinking machine” that could decipher the Enigma code of the German Wehrmacht. This groundbreaking invention shortened the war by several years and saved millions of lives.

Turing’s own life ended at the age of 42, tragically and shrouded in mystery: sentenced to inhumane hormone treatment because of his homosexuality, he took his own life in 1954. It was not until 2013 that he was officially pardoned by the British Queen. That his achievements are still barely recognised by the wider public is all the more regrettable, as an in-depth engagement with Alan Turing could greatly enrich current discussions about artificial intelligence.

THE TURING MACHINE by Benoît Solès is a play about a genius whose discoveries laid the foundation for modern computer science and for artificial intelligence. It is also a love story and the dramatic revelation of a secret.