Former hackers in conversation on Royal Court stage as part of The Big Idea

FORMER HACKERS IN CONVERSATION ON ROYAL COURT THEATRE STAGE

THE BIG IDEA: TEH INTERNET IS SERIOUS BUSINESS

Former Anonymous and LulzSec hacktivists Mustafa Al-Bassam and Jake Davis will appear together publicly for first time since being convicted for computer hacking on the Royal Court Theatre stage on 29 September at 5.30pm.

A ban forbidding communications between the pair, or any of the wider Anonymous collective, was lifted in June this year following a two-year internet ban.

Anonymous first hit the headlines in 2011, after a number of big corporations were caught off-guard by the group in a series of high-profile online attacks, which resulted in an international investigation and several arrests, including those of two British teenagers, Mustafa Al-Bassam and Jake Davis.

The two will be in conversation with academic and anthropologist Gabriella Coleman, to talk about Anonymous, hacking and the ethics of the internet, as part of The Big Idea – a series of events around Tim Price’s new play at the Royal Court – Teh Internet is Serious Business (17 Sep-25 Oct).

The event will be livestreamed on the Royal Court website and on Wired.co.uk.

The Royal Court will also host a Cryptoparty on Saturday 4 October – an event, dedicated to sharing the art of encryption to anyone interested in learning how to install and use tools to help secure their online communications. Fuelled by growing concerns about internet privacy, cryptoparties are popping up all over London and the world.

Academic and Anthropologist Gabriella Coleman
in conversation with Jake Davis and Mustafa Al-Bassam
Monday 29 September, 5.30pm
Jerwood Theatre Downstairs, Royal Court
Tickets £10
020 7565 5000 / www.royalcourttheatre.com

Gabriella Coleman trained as an anthropologist and now teaches, researches, and writes on computer hackers. Her work examines the ethics of online collaboration/institutions as well as the role of the law and digital media in sustaining various forms of political activism. Her first book, Coding Freedom: The Aesthetics and the Ethics of Hacking is published by Princeton University Press and she is currently working on a new book on Anonymous and digital activism.

Mustafa Al-Bassam and Jake Davis are former computer hackers, who were part of a core group arrested in 2011 for their parts in Anonymous and LulzSec and banned from the internet for two years. Jake currently works on various film, theatrical and arts projects and offers script consultancy and technical advice around the subjects of hacking, the “deep web” and online culture. Mustafa is a student, studying Computer Science.

Cryptoparty
Saturday 4 October, 11am
Royal Court Bar & Kitchen
Free, non-ticketed

The Royal Court will also host a cryptoparty on Saturday 4 October – a free event, dedicated to sharing the art of encryption to anyone interested in learning how to install and use tools to help secure their online communications. Fuelled by growing concerns about internet privacy, cryptoparties are popping up all over London and the world.

The Big Idea is a new strand of work at the Royal Court, offering audiences radical thinking and provocative discussion inspired by the work on stage.

AlixPartners support The Big Idea at the Royal Court Theatre.

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Notes to Editors:

For more information, please contact
Anna Evans, Royal Court Theatre 020 7565 5063 / annaevans@royalcourttheatre.com
Laura Myers, Cornershop PR 020 7831 7657 laura@thecornershoppr.com

Listings Information

Teh Internet is Serious Business
by Tim Price
directed by Hamish Pirie
17 September – 25 October 2014
Jerwood Theatre Downstairs, Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, London, SW1W 8AS

A 16-year-old London schoolboy and an 18-year-old recluse in Shetland meet online, pick a fight with the FBI and change the world forever.

Tim Price gets behind the code with the original Anonymous members and creates an anarchic retelling of the birth of hacktivism. A fictional account of the true story of Anonymous and LulzSec, the collective swarm who took on the most powerful capitalist forces from their bedrooms.

Tim Price, author of Protest Song about the Occupy movement and National Theatre of Wales’ The Radicalisation of Bradley Manning continues his interrogation of contemporary revolutions.

AlixPartners support The Big Idea at the Royal Court Theatre

The Royal Court offer radical thinkers and provocative voices a home, wherever they come from. The Big Idea series brings this to life by engaging the public in debate and discussion about civic, political, domestic and international issues. As a leading global business advisory firm of results-oriented professionals who specialise in creating value and enhancing performance, we share in this conviction to challenge pre-conceived standards and generate new ideas. AlixPartners is delighted to support the Royal Court in this exciting new programme.

Coutts support Innovation at the Royal Court Theatre

Coutts is the UK private banking arm of the Royal Bank of Scotland. Coutts has a long history of supporting the arts going back 200 years, having looked after the financial affairs of many famous clients connected with the arts such as Bram Stoker, Charles Dickens and Chopin. In 1816, Thomas Coutts married Harriot Mellon, a popular actress of her day, and together they became partners of a number of London Theatres, including the Drury Lane and the Royal Opera House. Coutts has even featured in a number of artistic works including The Gondoliers by Gilbert and Sullivan, and Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic story Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. In the new millennium, this tradition has continued not only through managing the finances of many of today’s top writers, actors and musicians, but also through our arts sponsorship programme and we are delighted to support The Royal Court and its diverse range of ground-breaking performances.