The Heresy Machine

In darkness, you hear the rumbling of a colossal machine. Lights come up on Baby, a computer. He scans the stage, gaining cognizance. He emits prerecorded sounds – the beginnings of speech. Alan Turing, mathematician and dreamer, enters, writing an equation. As he works, he realizes Baby sees him. Captivated by each other, they repeat words and movements, teaching and learning with computer programming as their shared language.
Characters speak to one another in language generated by computers; projections of cell growth patterns which morph and evolve throughout the duration of the show appear on performers’ bodies; characters flirt and play through computer code; a predictive text interface tells fairy tales. The Heresy Machine engages with the work of Alan Turing by adapting his groundbreaking work in mathematics, computer programming, and biology into a theatrical medium. Dynamic visuals and soundscapes create a nexus of vignettes and dance interludes addressing themes in Turing’s work, exploring physical metamorphosis, the boundaries of personhood, and his life as a gay man in a homophobic society. The Heresy Machine is structured around this intersection of Turing’s life and body of work, opening new browser windows into our own relationships with the machines around us.

Run time: 55 min