HEDY! The Life & Inventions of Hedy Lamarr
10 - 13 July 2024, 9.30 pm
From Austria to Hollywood, WWII, torpedoes, ecstasy, and intrigue to the very cell phone in your pocket, Hedy Lamarr is there!
Hedy Lamarr, glamorous siren of the silver screen, was more than the most beautiful woman in the world. She invented Frequency-Hopping Spread Spectrum Technology that makes the world of wireless communication tick. From Austria to Hollywood, WWII, torpedoes, ecstasy, and intrigue to the very cell phone in your pocket, Hedy Lamarr is there!
HEDY! The Life & Inventions of Hedy Lamarr celebrates the unexpected scientific genius of Hedy Lamarr, Viennese-born Hollywood film star of the 1930s-1950s. Known as The Most Beautiful Woman in the World, Lamarr spent her spare time in Hollywood inventing new technology. She had stored away knowledge of munitions while married to Austrian arms dealer, Fritz Mandl. She employed this knowledge to support the US Navy’s war effort during WWII by inventing The Secret Communication System with composer George Antheil, to make torpedoes more accurate. Also known as Frequency-Hopping Spread Spectrum Technology, her invention is used today in cell phones, WiFi, CDMA, GPS, and Bluetooth.
Having studied Astrophysics with dreams of becoming an astronaut before studying Theatre Arts, Heather Massie marries her loves of art and science in the person of Hedy Lamarr. Portraying 36 characters in this solo play, Massie enchants the audience as Hedy Lamarr, along with Jimmy Stewart, Bette Davis, Louis B Mayer, and more! Hedy is summoned to unearth the truth behind how a glamorous actress could create an invention which launched today's wireless technology revolution! The show premiered Off Broadway in 2016 on Theatre Row, and has since toured throughout the United States, Canada, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Finland, Ukraine, Iceland, Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, and Kosovo garnering 28 awards and critical acclaim. Written and performed by Fulbright Specialist Heather Massie, its mission is to inspire audiences to pursue their passions, especially to encourage young women in science and technology, and to establish Hedy Lamarr as a role model for intelligence, ingenuity, and invention.
Heather Massie stars as Hedy Lamarr
Direction - Blake Walton & Leslie Kincaid Burby
Projections - Jim Marlowe & Charley Marlowe
Sound Design - Jacob Subotnick & Andy Evan Cohen
Dialects - Page Clements
Technical Director - Dan Leary
Photography - Al Foote III, Charley Marlowe, Monica Callan & Inspirefest.
Full Story of the show here: www.HeatherMassie.com/story-of-the-show
The show lasts for 75 minutes without an interval. This show is recommended to all audiences.
