The Life & Inventions of Hedy Lamarr
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Heather Massie Writer / Producer / Performer [email protected] (212)600-0514 HEDY! The Life & Inventions of Hedy Lamarr - A True Story of Hollywood Glamour and Scientific Genius - Written and Performed by Heather Massie Hedy Lamarr, glamorous siren of the silver screen, was more than the most beautiful woman in the world. She invented frequency hopping and spread spectrum technology that make the world of wireless communication tick. From Austria to Hollywood, WWII, torpedoes, ecstasy, and intrigue to the very cell phone in your pocket, she was there! Show Website: www.HeatherMassie.com/hedy Mission To inspire audiences to find ways each day to make the world a better place. To encourage young women in endeavors of science & technology. To establish Hedy Lamarr as a role model for intelligence & ingenuity. For Touring Worldwide to: Theatres, Arts Festivals, Science Festivals, Universities, Schools, Science Centers, Museums, Libraries, Technology Conferences & More Panel Discussion, Lecture & Workshops available Has played to houses from 35 seats to 2000 seats For Ages 12 through 100+ Reviews “In Lily Tomlin-esque fashion … Massie channels the iconic star … vividly yet matter-of- factly, and often very humorously … In a balance of high energy and poise, Heather Massie is no less than captivating.” -- The Huffington Post "Effervescent and entertaining ... A tour de force solo performance ... Heather Massie wowed the Inspirefest crowd as Hedy Lamarr." -- Silicon Republic “Richly realized. Both convincingly real and larger than life … she has us thoroughly swept up.” -- Blogcritics Magazine "If any woman in history deserves a one-woman tribute show it’s Hedy Lamarr and if any actress is worthy of playing her it’s the exceptionally talented Heather Massie. Massie is captivating as she rules the stage and teases her audience." – MD Theatre Guide “Highly entertaining ... compelling and humorous … considerable elegance and skill.” – Splash Magazine “Lively and enlightening ... engaging performance.” – Sarasota Herald-Tribune “Heather Massie has created a tribute to this amazing woman … And she does it well.” – OffBrwy “Gorgeous … Heather Massie is the image of Hedy Lamarr.” – Total Theater “Fantastic … A truly remarkable performance.” -- Andy B Sports “Remarkable … I congratulate chameleon Heather Massie.” – Theatre in the Now Heather Massie as Hedy Lamarr - by Charley Marlowe (L), Monica Callan (R) Recent & Upcoming Performances Inspirefest 2018 - Bord Gáis Energy Theatre - Dublin, Ireland - June 21, 2018 Science Gallery Dublin w/ Women in Technology & Science - Dublin, Ireland - June 26 Accidental Theatre - Belfast, Northern Ireland - July 3, 2018 Áras Éanna Arts Centre - Inisheer, Aran Islands, Ireland - July 6, 2018 Halla Rónáin - Inishmore, Aran Islands, Ireland - July 8, 2018 Gothenburg Fringe - Gothenburg, Sweden - August 23-27, 2018 Arts Midwest Conference - Indianapolis, IN - September 5-8, 2018 New York New Works Theater Festival - Theatre Row, NYC - September 11 & 15, 2018 Scranton Fringe - Scranton, PA - September 28-30, 2018 University of Virginia - Charlottesville, Virginia - October 4 & 7, 2018 The Players Club w/ White Horse Theater Company - NYC - November 16, 2018 OnStage! Festival - Rome, Italy - January 21-27, 2019 Tour of Ireland - February, 2019 Production History 2018 Harare International Festival of the Arts – US Embassy Zimbabwe Grant Award Unizulu Science Centre, 2018 ZulFest Science Festival - Durban, South Africa Thope Foundation - Khayelitsha, Cape Town, South Africa - 2018 Makukhanye Art Room - Khayelitsha, Cape Town, South Africa - 2018 Women in Tech @ Alexander Bar, Café & Theatre, Cape Town, South Africa, 2018 George Arts Theatre - George, South Africa - 2018 Sci-Bono Discovery Centre - Johannesburg, South Africa - 2018 Millersville University - Millersville, PA - 2018 Champlain College - Burlington, VT - 2018 Grange Hall Cultural Center - Waterbury Center, VT - 2018 2018 SaraSolo Festival, Sarasota, FL - Encore! Performance USS Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, NYC - for the GOALS for Girls Program 2017 Charm City Fringe, Baltimore, MD - Best Hustle Award Cape Town Science Centre, Cape Town, South Africa Alexander Bar, Café & Theatre, Cape Town, South Africa 2017 Intwasa Arts Festival, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe - US Embassy Zimbabwe Grant Award 2017 IndyFringe, Indianapolis, IN - Audience Choice & Sold Out Awards 2017 Galway Fringe, Galway, Ireland - Best Actress Stag’s Head Parlor Bar - Dublin, Ireland Gamut Classic Theatre, Harrisburg, PA 2017 Planet Connections Theatre Festivity, NYC - Outstanding Performance in a Solo Play 2017 Shenandoah Fringe, Staunton, VA - Audience Choice 2017 Special Performance for Hedy Lamarr’s Family & Biographers, NYC 2017 One & Only Festival, Grange Hall Cultural Center, Waterbury Center, VT 2017 DivaFest, Indianapolis, IN 2017 SaraSolo Festival, Sarasota, FL - Best Actress 2016 United Solo Festival, NYC - Festival Bestseller 2016 Planet Connections Theatre Festivity, NYC - Outstanding Actress in a Staged Reading 2016 Grange Hall Cultural Center, Waterbury Center, VT - Inaugural Artist-In-Residence Story of the Show HEDY! The Life & Inventions of Hedy Lamarr explores the life, inventions and person of Hedy Lamarr, Viennese-born Hollywood film star of the 1930s-1950s. Known as The Most Beautiful Woman in the World, Hedy Lamarr 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 referred to as Frequency Hopping or Spread Spectrum Technology, her invention is used today in cell phones, WiFi, CDMA, GPS, Bluetooth and a myriad of other wireless systems. Having studied Astrophysics with dreams of becoming an astronaut, Heather Massie marries her loves of art and science in the person of Hedy Lamarr. She brings Hedy to life while interacting with the audience and playing the 33 other characters in Hedy’s life including Jimmy Stewart, George Sanders, Bette Davis, and Louis B. Mayer. The audience summons Hedy to unearth the truth behind how such a glamorous actress could create an invention which is ubiquitous today. Massie says, "I use the story of the unexpected genius of Hedy Lamarr to empower women, to inspire audiences to find ways each day to make the world a better place, and to encourage young women in endeavors of science and technology." Heather Massie stars as Hedy Lamarr. Director & Artistic Consultation - Blake Walton, Artistic Consultation - Leslie Kincaid Burby, Projections - Jim Marlowe & Charley Marlowe, Sound Design - Jacob Subotnick, Dialects - Page Clements, Technical Assistance - Dan Leary, Photography - Al Foote III, Charley Marlowe & Monica Callan. Heather Massie as Hedy Lamarr - by Al Foote III (L), Charley Marlowe (R) History of the Show Heather Massie was honored as the Outstanding Actress in a Staged Reading at the 2016 Planet Connections Theatre Festivity in New York City for HEDY! The Life & Inventions of Hedy Lamarr. The World Premiere was presented on Hedy Lamarr’s 102nd birthday in the United Solo Festival in New York City, and was named a 2016 Festival Bestseller. Ms. Massie was awarded with the Best Actress Award in the 2017 SaraSolo Festival in Sarasota, Florida; with the Audience Choice Award for the 2017 Shenandoah Fringe in Staunton, Virginia; with the Outstanding Performance in a Solo Show Award for the 2017 Planet Connections Theatre Festivity in NYC; with the Best Actress Award in the 2017 Galway Fringe in Galway, Ireland; and with the Audience Choice and Sold Out Awards in the 2017 IndyFringe Festival in Indianapolis, IN. It was developed in the Artist-in-Residence program in 2016 at the Grange Hall Cultural Center inWaterbury Center, VT, and performed there in March 2017. It was also presented in DivaFest 2017 in Indianapolis in March 2017; at Gamut Classic Theatre in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, July 2017; in a special NYC performance for Hedy Lamarr’s family and biographers in April, 2017; in a special invited performance at The Stag’s Head in Dublin, Ireland in July, 2017; in the 2017 Charm City Fringe in Baltimore, MD in Nov 2017; and an Encore! Performance in the 2018 SaraSolo Festival in Sarasota, Florida, Jan 2018. Ms. Massie performed the show in the 2017 Intwasa Arts Festival in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, facilitated by the US Embassy, Zimbabwe. Ms. Massie served as a Cultural Envoy to the 2008 Intwasa Arts Festival as assistant to Tony-Nominated Playwrighting Instructor Mr. Leslie Lee. She returned to Intwasa to present HEDY! The Life & Inventions of Hedy Lamarr in her Leslie Lee Memorial Tour, and continued the tour in Cape Town, South Africa at the Alexander Bar, Cafe & Theatre and the Cape Town Science Centre. In Dec 2017 she performed the show aboard the USS Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in NYC for their GOALS for Girls Program, and in a Lecture Recording for NPR - WITF’s Mind Matters program for The Department of Aging in Pennsylvania. She returned to the SaraSolo Festival in 2018 to present an Encore! Performance and a lecture on Hedy Lamarr. In February, she was the keynote lecturer for the 2018 Inspirefest Salon New York. A special performance of the show was presented at the Austrian Cultural Forum New York in NYC in honor of International Women's Day and the Austrian Remembrance Year on March 6, 2018. And Ms. Massie delivered a lecture on Hedy Lamarr on International Women's Day at Siegel+Gale