ADA completed a research and development phase undertaken with financial support from Arts Council England and Nottingham Playhouse, in June 2017.
For the ADA research and development process, which took place at Nottingham Playhouse, Poetical Machines as producer and sound designer brought together writer Emily Holyoake and instrumental trio Haiku Salut. The ADA research and development director was Kate Chapman and Giles Croft acted as dramaturg and workshop facilitator.
A key element of the research and development phase was to investigate the use of performance techniques and technology from electronic music performance and adapt them for use in theatrical performance. This focussed on blurring the distinction between the operators of the technical elements of production and the performers including developing stage or scenic elements that form interfaces with the musical or visual playback technology.
Ada Lovelace was an accomplished musician and we argue the starting point for the continuum of ground-breaking female electronic musicians such as Daphne Oram, Delia Derbyshire, Kate Bush, Bjork, Imogen Heap, Laurie Anderson, FKA Twigs, St Vincent, Haiku Salut and many others. These artists all bring a heightened theatricality to rock music performance and we will explore to what extent that process can be mirrored in theatrical productions.
Haiku Salut worked with Adam McCready on the music, audio and technology aspect of the project as Emily Holyoake developed with Giles Croft a script, through readings with actors and a series of drafts before a week of workshops with actors in June 2017. This culminated in a scratch performance of sections of the work so far. After this it was hoped to move on to finding funding through Kickstarter and further arts funding, for a production phase with a completed show appearing in 2019.