HEDY! The Life and Inventions of Hedy Lamarr, a One-Woman Show by Heather Massie, to Play The Berman

 The Berman Center for Performing Arts is excited to present HEDY! The Life & Inventions of Hedy Lamarr. 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!

Come see the true story of Hollywood glamour and scientific genius. This one woman show, written and performed by Heather Massie, 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, 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, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Sweden, Ukraine, Italy, and Iceland, garnering 19 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.

What is a Dementia/Alzheimer-Friendly event?
Minor adjustments make it more welcoming and easier to access for people who are living with dementia/Alzheimer’s and their care partners.

The event includes support from The Bruce H. and Rosalie N. Rosen Community Connect program. This program is designed to provide people living with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia and their care partners with a broad range of socialization and culturally significant events and outings. Tickets exclusively for those with a dementia or Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis and their caregiver are provided at no cost, thanks to underwriting by Bruce H. and Rosalie N. Rosen Family Foundation.

These tickets can be reserved by registering through the Alzheimer’s Association Michigan Chapter by Friday, March 8, 2024. Contact Kayla Jakel – 248.996.1056 or kjakel@alz.org.

Underwritten by Rose Senior Living – Farmington Hills, Alzheimer’s Association – Michigan Chapter, Dementia Friendly Saline
Produced in partnership with SAJE, Jewish Senior Life, Jewish Family Service of Metro Detroit, The Dorothy & Peter Brown Jewish Community Adult Day Program, and Gesher Human Services