Ada and the Engine

As the British Industrial Revolution dawns, young Ada Byron Lovelace (daughter of the flamboyant and notorious Lord Byron) sees the boundless creative potential in the “analytic engines” of her friend and soul-mate, Charles Babbage, inventor of the first mechanical computer. Ada envisions a whole new world where art and information converge – a world she might not live to see. A music-laced story of love,...
As the British Industrial Revolution dawns, young Ada Byron Lovelace (daughter of the flamboyant and notorious Lord Byron) sees the boundless creative potential in the “analytic engines” of her friend and soul-mate, Charles Babbage, inventor of the first mechanical computer. Ada envisions a whole new world where art and information converge – a world she might not live to see. A music-laced story of love, friendship, and the edgiest dreams of the future. Jane Austen meets Steve Jobs in this poignant pre-tech romance heralding the computer age. Original music by The Kilbanes on request.
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Ada and the Engine

Recommended by

  • Ian Thal:
    30 May. 2022
    In "Ada and the Engine", Gunderson makes both the intimate friendships between Lovelace and Babbage (progenitors of the not yet named field of computer science) and their efforts to imagine the marvelous possibilities of steam-powered brass-and-steel brains palpable. A truly fascinating portrait of two lives whose significance to our world would not be fully appreciated for over a century: Indeed it was Lovelace's insights that presage we can use machines to exchange plays!

    I reviewed Avant Bard's 2022 production: https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/551717/ghost-in-the-machine-ada-and-the-engine/
  • Philip Middleton Williams:
    13 May. 2020
    This was presented as a reading at the William Inge Theatre Festival and is an intricate and absorbing play about a hidden figure in the Industrial Revolution. Ada Byron Lovelace's story is told with passion, and the characters are fully developed and compelling. It would be mesmerizing on the stage.
  • Karen Ruetz:
    13 May. 2020
    Ada and the Engine is a complex and beautifully written play that weaves dramatic moments, compelling characters and mathematics into an artistic tapestry that is mesmerizing to read, and will be a performance to remember. Ada Byron Lovelace has a small part in history, but her story is so emotional and beautiful. The other characters are deep and well-written and will give actors a lot to play with. A beautiful piece of art!

Development History

  • Commission
    ,
    Central Works Theatre
    ,
    2015

Production History