The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing
World Premiere Cast and Creative Team
Alan Turing: Jonathan Michie
Christopher Morcom: Joseph Leppek
Joan Clarke: Taylor Raven
Fred Clayton/Judge: Richard Ollarsaba
Sara Turing: Teresa Castillo
Don Bailey/Bobby/Prosecutor: David Salisbury Fry
Steve Todd/Arnold Murray: Justin Berkowitz
Conductor: Lidiya Yankovskaya
Director: Peter Rothstein
Available for Production
INSTRUMENTATION:
32 Players
picc, fl (picc), ob, B-flat cl (bass cl), asax (barsax), bn (cbn) / fh, B-flat tpt, tbn, tba / perc (1) - timp, crot, t.bells, brake drum, hi-hat/susp cyms/crash cyms, sleigh bells, snare drum, BD, sports whistle / keyboard (pipe organ, pft, cel), Harp / Strings (5/4/4/4/2)
CHORUS:
SATB (24 Singers Minimum)
ROLES:
7 Singers
ALAN TURING (Lyric Baritone)
CHRISTOPHER MORCOM (Lyric Tenor)
SARA TURING (Coloratura Soprano)
FRED CLAYTON (Bass Baritone)
JOAN CLARK (Mezzo Soprano)
STEVE TODD / ARNOLD MURRAY (High Lyric Tenor)
DON BAYLEY / A BOBBY / PROSECUTOR (Bass Baritone)
DURATION:
110’
Two Acts with One Intermission
HISTORY:
Commission by ALT:
2012
Libretto Workshop & Reading:
September 2013
Public reading part of the The Living Libretto series
Piano/Vocal Workshop & Public Concert:
March 2017
Public reading part of the InsightALT series
Orchestral Workshop & Public Concert: February 2019
In Partnership with Chicago Opera Theater | Chicago, IL
World Premiere Production: March 2023 In Partnership with Chicago Opera Theater | Chicago, IL
“...one can’t imagine —or at least this reviewer can’t—that ..Turing won’t someday be on the calendar of one of the world’s great opera houses.”
Commissioned by American Lyric Theater in 2012 to commemorate the Turing Centennial, The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing is an evening-length opera inspired by the life of the groundbreaking computer scientist, Alan Turing.
After saving England in World War II by cracking the Nazi U-boat code, he was found guilty of gross indecency for a homosexual relationship. He chose chemical castration over imprisonment as his punishment. Two years later, Turing was found poisoned near a cyanide-laced apple with a bite taken from it. The apple is believed to be a reference to his obsession with Disney’s Snow White, and the image is rumored to be the inspiration for Apple Computer’s logo. Turing’s mysterious death was labeled a suicide – but there are many other theories.
Artists’ Statements
Justine F. Chen and David Simpatico
“Our opera imagines the man inside the legend of Alan Turing: his unique perspective of the universe, his unabashed view of his homosexuality, and his impact on the future of civilization. This piece is relevant today not only for restoring Turing to our collective memory, but also because the institutionalized homophobic attitudes faced by Turing continue to threaten the lives of gay men and women across the globe. In fact, this opera is not merely about homophobia, it is about prejudice. This opera celebrates the power of memory, creativity, and the potential within us all to live fully and truly.”
Media
Video Sample
Complete Workshop Video Available Upon Request
Press
“This one-night concert performance was the culmination of a weeklong workshop… it was a revelatory evening, worthy of the man who invented the modern computer and facilitated the Allied victory in World War II by breaking the German military’s secret code—only to be prosecuted and chemically castrated by British authorities for homosexual activity… which was then illegal and heavily policed.” Baritone Jonathan Michie was outstanding as Turing, the half-dozen singers in featured roles all turned in top-notch performances, and Chen’s terrific score made inventive use of Northwestern University’s Bienen Contemporary and Early Vocal Ensemble as chorus.”
“Silence—feeling as long as five seconds—seemed to underline that we in the audience were now a part of opera history. This was the end of a performance… capping a weeklong workshop of The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing by composer Justine F. Chen and librettist David Simpatico. Though still a work-in-progress, there are already so many moments of transporting music in this work that one can’t imagine —or at least this reviewer can’t—that ..Turing won’t someday be on the calendar of one of the world’s great opera houses.”
Materials
Libretto
Piano Vocal Score
Full Score
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