Synopsis

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.

Note From Director Miller Liberatore

In the 1800s, there once lived a teenage mathematician who conceptualized an engine that could think for itself in order to process information without the burden of human error. Her name was Ada Lovelace. She was ahead of her time to a prophetic extent. It is painful to admit that we have twisted Ada’s engine into something unrecognizable: a destructive tool for capitalistic greed, environmental destruction, and human disconnection.

Here in the heart of Silicon Valley, it would serve us well to reflect on where our namesake started: two hundred years ago, in the mind of a young poet whose goal was to create a tool that would prevent misinformation from spreading. The Pear’s production of Ada & The Engine by Lauren Gunderson is an invitation for each of us to think like Ada. Our future depends on it.

Cast

Angel Lin…………….…………. Ada
David Boyll……………..….….. Charles
Maya Capur……………...…….. Anabella
Joshua Bao……………...…….. Lovelace
Olga Molina…………………… Mary Sommerville & U/S: Ada
Doy Charnsupharindr……….. Lord Byron & U/S: Charles & Lovelace

Production Team

Director: Miller Liberatore
Stage & Production Manager: Kelly Weber Barraza
Lighting Designer: Ed Hunter
Sound Designer: Tina Vo
Costume Designer: Lisa Rozman
Set Design: Louis Stone-Collonge
Hair Design: Melissa Mei Jones
Intimacy Coordinator: Bessie Zolno

Runtime

1 hour & 45 minutes with a 15 minute intermission.

Reviews & Press

“…a truly remarkable theatrical experience, and one with a strong appeal for Silicon Valley types… In a theater just south of the Google campus, such tech-friendly content is quite a cherry on top of the sundae.” - The Almanac

“GO SEE IT...!” - Splash Magazines

“...a taut narrative and good acting… an engrossing biography that spans time in more than one dimension. … delivers a worthy result.” - Talkin’ Broadway