What is the origin story of GeniusFEST? Co-producer/performer Jack Fry (Einstein) tells us, “One day, a few years ago, Heather Massie (Hedy Lamarr), a few other science-based performers and I were sitting on the porch at a booking conference in the Minneapolis Hilton Hotel, musing about all the technology around us that we take for granted, never knowing the geniuses who created these remarkable innovations. Since our shows brought these geniuses to life, might it not be our mission to bring awareness to the dramatic stories behind these historic achievements, these revolutionary ideas from all types of visionaries that have transformed our world. Thus, GeniusFEST From Ideas to Impact – Celebrating Revolutionary Minds was born. We hope that this festival will inspire audiences to engage in their world in a more appreciative and enlightening manner, while at the same time be astounded by the spectacular stories these artists tell.
Santa Monica Playhouse and Sew and Sew Productions are proud to present:
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Jack Fry’s award-winning EINSTEN! returns to the Santa Monica Playhouse after traveling across the country and Canada, winning acclaim from New York City to Edmonton. Albert comes back from the beyond to set the record straight and tell us the real history behind his scientific breakthrough. Set in 1914 Berlin, the solo play follows young Albert Einstein as he struggles to prove his general theory of relativity, while his personal life — new fatherhood, a wife who won't agree to a divorce, failing health — and society crumble around him due to the Great War. Told with humor and heart, EINSTEIN! draws on the recent release of 15,000 documents and Fry's three years of research to show a side of the genius that's rarely seen.
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"Funny, touching, intimate…Fry's portrait captures the iconic mathematician as you might not have imagined him before...a triumph."
- Huffington Post
- Huffington Post
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In the 30+ award-winning show, HEDY! - The Life and Inventions of Hedy Lamarr, Heather Massie enchants the audience as Hedy Lamarr, along with Jimmy Stewart, Bette Davis, Louis B Mayer, and more! A 36-character solo play where the audience summons Hedy to unearth the truth behind how a glamorous Hollywood film star could create an invention used in our cell phones, WiFi, GPS, & Bluetooth - launching today's wireless technology revolution! 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!
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“Highly entertaining!” Splash Magazine • “Inspiring!” - Broadway World
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Legend has it Shakespeare expired from a fever after a night of drinking. Raise your cups with the mysterious Bard of Avon in SHAKESPEARE’S LAST NIGHT OUT as he defends his authorship against doubting canker blossoms. Winner of the Ovation Award for Best Book of an Original Musical 2015, Hollywood Fringe Top of Fringe and Best Solo Performance, comes a bawdy journey of song, recounting the secret events and odd characters who shaped the greatest writer of all time.
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“Shakespeare as a Rock Star…For sheer entertainment value and uncanny comic timing, Michael Shaw Fisher’s dozen-song impersonation of an alcoholic and dissipated Shakespeare on the eve of his death — defending his authorship from posterity’s naysayers — can’t be beat.” - LA Weekly
GeniusFEST 2025
Thursday, April 24 - Sunday, April 27
Thursday, April 24 - Sunday, April 27
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Thursday, April 24
5:00 pm HEDY 8:00 pm SHAKESPEARE |
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General Admission: $39.50 each performance
Discounts Available for Students, Teachers, Seniors, Military Past and Present
Discounts Available for Students, Teachers, Seniors, Military Past and Present
Bundle and Save!
Special discounts up to 30% when you purchase tickets for two or more shows!
Special discounts up to 30% when you purchase tickets for two or more shows!
GeniusFEST is partnering with the Luz Maria Foundation to raise money for the victims of the Los Angeles Fires. There will be an opportunity to make a donation when purchasing a ticket and there will be a collection box in the Playhouse courtyard to donate clothing, books and non-perishable food items. https://www.luzmariafoundation.org
Santa Monica Playhouse® Reserves the Right to Cancel or Reschedule Performances Without Prior Notice. Please Call to Confirm Show Dates and Times.