Media About Hedy Lamarr and Stand Still & Look Stupid

Stand Still & Look Stupid by Mike Broemmel, a play that chronicles the life of screen legend and world-changing inventor Hedy Lamarr, takes to the stage for its second year in production. Stand Still & Look Stupid, produced by Theatrix USA, is part of the company’s Iconic Women Theatre Series.

Stand Still & Look Stupid stars seasoned actor Emily Ebertz in title role of Hedy Lamarr. The play is presented with the exclusive permission of the estate of Hedy Lamarr. The production’s primary director is Ren Manley. Sybll Romley is the executive producer and Ali Romley is the creative director of the production. Cathy Washburn, Manley, and Seth Holley assisted in the creation of the script. 

Lamarr made history during her film career as the first woman in a non-pornographic film to be featured in sexual rapture. Ecstasy was released in Europe when Lamarr was 19 years old. Directly after the film’s release, Lamarr would enter into her first of six marriages, with one of the wealthiest men in Austria. Her husband, as a munitions manufacturer, entertained the likes of German Chancellor Adolph Hitler in his home. These early encounters with the Nazi leader left Lamarr with a deep hatred for Hitler, which would motivate some of her inventing endeavors a decade later.

At the time of the Nazi annexation of Austria, Lamarr broke with her husband and fled to the United States. Within a couple of years, she became one of the most talked-about women on the silver screen. After her first U.S. motion picture, Lamarr became known as “the most beautiful girl in the world,” a moniker she would carry throughout her career in films. 

In the midst of World War II, Lamarr conceived technology which became known as frequency-hopping spread spectrum communication. In other words, the actress christened the most beautiful girl in the world gave birth to the modern communication age. Thanks to Lamarr, people the world over have access to everything from WiFi to GPS to Bluetooth to garage door openers to the scanner at the market. In recent times, Lamarr is slowing moving from being recognized as the most beautiful girl in the world to the “mother of WiFi.”

The entirety of Lamarr’s life story remains not widely known. Thanks to the documentary about her life released last year, Bombshell, a wider audience is being introduced to Lamarr and her incomparable work. Stand Still & Look Stupid continues the public education and represents the staged presentation of her life story.

Age-appropriate versions of Stand Still & Look Stupid are available for performances in elementary, middle, and high schools. 

Lecture and keynote presentations featuring Mike Broemmel, playwright of Stand Still & Look Stupid and Hedy Lamarr historian can be arranged.