Dons, Wrens and Bombes

Name: Dons, Wrens and Bombes
Start: 2026-05-30T10:30:00+01:00
End: 2026-05-30T12:30:00+01:00
Location: The National Museum of Computing

Schedule

Sat May 30 2026 at 10:30 am to 12:30 pm

UTC+01:00

Location

The National Museum of Computing | Milton Keynes, EN

“Dons, Wrens and Bombes; - A Musical Account of Wartime Codebreaking and Courage”
About this Event

This launch event introduces Dons, Wrens and Bombes, a new musical telling the story of wartime Bombe codebreaking through the intertwined lives of the academics, operators, engineers and military leaders who shaped its impact.
Structured in four acts — Dons, Bombes, Wrens, and Impact — the musical explores not only intellectual brilliance but emotional courage: the discipline of secrecy, the weight of responsibility, and the collective intelligence that made success possible.
The event combines narrative storytelling with performed mini-excerpts (spoken and patter-sung), demonstrating how historical material is translated into stage form.
The presentation concludes with an immersive response experience, inviting the audience to engage actively with staging, musical and educational questions arising from the work.

• 10:30–11:00 – Arrival, refreshments, and signing “Official Secrets Activity” form
• 11:00–11:05 – Welcome (Museum Director)
• 11:05–11:15 – Overview: Origins, Structure, Musical and Educational Vision
• 11:15–12:00 – Structured narrative presentation with performed mini- excerpts and post-Act insights on Staging, Casting, Music and Song Selection for Directors.
o Act 1 – Dons
o Act 2 – Bombes
o Act 3 – Wrens
o Act 4 – Impact and Concluding Sequence
• 12:00–12:30 – Immersive “Hut Mission” Response Experience (small-group engagement, structured reporting)
• 12:30–13:00- Book signing

Agenda

🕑: 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Arrival, refreshments, and signing “Official Secrets Activity”
🕑: 11:00 AM - 11:05 AM
11:00–11:05 – Welcome (Museum Director)
🕑: 11:05 AM - 11:15 AM
Overview: Origins, Structure, Musical and Educational Vision
🕑: 11:15 AM - 12:00 PM
Structured narrative presentation with performed mini- excerpts and post
🕑: 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM
Immersive “Hut Mission” Response Experience
🕑: 12:30 PM - 01:00 PM
Book signing