“REGINA v. TURING AND MURRAY”
2017 marked the 65th anniversary of the trial of Alan Turing, mathematician, code breaker and pioneer in computer science, which had taken place in Knutsford at the Sessions House (which later became the Crown Court). The Knutsford Promenades set this overlooked piece of local history into the central theme of its Alan Turing-themed festival and Knutsford was selected as one of four national HODs commissions, ‘Unsung Stories’. This project was an opportunity to reflect upon the hearing of Alan Turing and Arnold Murray. It offered a fresh interpretation of the events and experiences of the key protagonists, linking the events to a modern LGBT context. The play was set and performed in the actual courtroom where Turing was heard and sentenced.
EXTRA INFORMATION:
In March 1952, Alan Turing, the Mathematician, code breaker and pioneer of computer science found himself in Knutsford Crown Court accused of “gross indecency” with Arnold Murray, a nineteen year old photo printer. Turing had been awarded the OBE for his work in cracking the German Enigma codes, an act which helped Britain to win the Second World War. He had met Murray on the Oxford Road, Manchester and invited him back to his home in Wilmslow.
There the two of them indulged in “homosexual activities”. Homosexuality was, at the time, illegal. Turing, with an almost reckless honesty, told the Police of their relationship. Turing had a strongly held belief that his sexual orientation was not a crime and he openly admitted it. He pleaded guilty when charged and, consequently received the sentence of one year’s probation and chemical “castration”.
Two years later Turing was found dead in his bed. At his bedside was an apple with a bite taken from it, the apple was covered in cyanide. A leading light in early computer science, Turing’s contribution to modern day technology is acknowledged through the current Apple Technology symbol, an apple with a bite taken out of it!
The brief for the writing of “Regina v. Turing and Murray” was to use the Court hearing as a framework but introduce “surreal” moments to explore the external pressures and internal thoughts of the people in the Courtroom and draw parallels with historic and contemporary LGBT thoughts and attitudes. The “surreal” moments were highlighted by the use of an acapella choir underscoring the dialogue with appropriate music.
The result was a 45 minute performance, containing six acapella songs, details of which can be found at the site: http://rvturingmurray.net .
In addition three monologues were commissioned, these were spoken by: The Judge, Turing and Murray. These were filmed in 3D and played back through Virtual Reality headsets. The monologues gave another insight into the thoughts and actions of the characters. Again these can be seen, along with a video of the performance, on the website: http://rvturingmurray.net .
