Inspirational play about inventor-actress
The theatre play Life and Inventions of Hedy Lamarr explores the life, inventions and person of this Viennese-born Hollywood film star of the 1930s to 1950s. Heather Massie stars as the glamorous Hedy Lamarr, bringing the play to George on 24, 25 and 26 May. The director and artistic consultation is Blake Walton.
There will be shows to accommodate both adults and school children. Theatre manager Heather Stead said they aim to do matinee shows to enable young girls to attend and inspire them to go into science. "The play is based on a true story. Hedy Lamarr was not only a film star in the 1940s, but also the inventor of WiFi!"
Inventor inspiration
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. This system could not be tracked or jammed and was intended to make torpedoes more accurate. Also referred to as "frequency hopping" or "spread spectrum technology", her invention is used today in cellphones, WiFi, CDMA, GPS, Bluetooth and a myriad of other wireless systems. Having studied astrophysics with dreams of becoming an astronaut, actress 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 reveals 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 inspire the audience to find ways each day to make the world a better place, and to encourage young women in endeavours of science and technology."
Details
Shows will take place at the Oakhurst Insurance George Arts Theatre on 24, 25 and 26 May. Times for the evening and afternoon shows still have to be finalised. Book through Computicket or at the theatre office on 044 874 3142.