Silent Sky

by Lauren Gunderson

Directed by Levi Gore

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When Henrietta Leavitt begins work at the Harvard Observatory in the early 1900s, she isn’t allowed to touch a telescope or express an original idea. Instead, she joins a group of women “computers,” charting the stars for a renowned astronomer who calculates projects in “girl hours” and has no time for the women’s probing theories.

 

As Henrietta, in her free time, attempts to measure the light and distance of stars, she must also take measure of her life on Earth, trying to balance her dedication to science with family obligations and the possibility of love.

 

The true story of 19th-century astronomer Henrietta Leavitt explores a woman’s place in society during a time of immense scientific discoveries, when women’s ideas were dismissed until men claimed credit for them. Social progress, like scientific progress, can be hard to see when one is trapped among earthly complications; Henrietta Leavitt and her female peers believe in both, and their dedication changed the way we understand both the heavens and Earth.

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Time & Place: Early 1900s, Harvard University,

Star field, Leavitt home, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Ocean liner.

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Roles:

 

Henrietta Leavitt – 30s - brilliant, meticulous, excited - almost always wearing a period hearing-aid.

Margaret Leavitt - 30s - homebody, creative, sweet, sister.

Peter Shaw - 30s  - the head astronomer's apprentice ... and the man.

Annie Cannon - 40s – the leader, terse and sure, grows into a firebrand.

Williamina Flemming - 50s - smart as a whip and fun, Scottish.

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Schedule:

Rehearsals: Dec 11, 2023 – Jan 19, 2024

   (with holiday breaks)

Tech: Jan 20 - 29, 2024

Preview: Thu - Jan 25,2024

Performances:

Thu – Sat 7:30pm & Sun 2pm - Jan 26 - Feb 11, 2024