Alton Fringe Theatre is presenting Breaking The Code by Hugh Whitemore - based on the book Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges - in the Wessex Arts Theatre at Alton College from November 14 to 16 at 7.30pm.

This exceptional biographical drama is about a man who broke too many codes: the eccentric genius Alan Turing, who played a major role in winning the Second World War.

Along with many others he broke the complex German naval code called Enigma, enabling Allied forces to foresee German manoeuvres.

Since his work was classified top secret for years after the war, no-one knew how much was owed to him when he was put on trial for breaking another code - the taboo against homosexuality.

Turing, who was also the first to conceive of computers, was convicted under the 1885 Criminal Law Amendment Act. It made all homosexual acts of "gross indecency" illegal and was the same act used to convict Oscar Wilde.

Turing was sentenced to undergo hormone treatments which left him physically and mentally debilitated. He died a suicide, forgotten and alone. This play is about who he was, what happened to him and why.

Alton Fringe Theatre has brought together a very strong cast for this production. The powerful drama is a journey through the short yet complex life of Alan Turing. There are moments of triumph and disaster, laughter and tears. At the heart of the story is a search for love.

In a typically stripped back Fringe production, it is the characters in Turing’s life as well as Turing himself who are the focus for attention. The music is by Julian Chou-Lambert.

For tickets, priced £15, visit www.ticketsource.co.uk/alton-fringe-theatre