Silent Sky
By Lauren Gunderson
Directed by Hjalmer Anderson
How a woman with determination, passion and sacrifice redefined our understanding of the cosmos
Silent Sky by Laura Gunderson
Stage Manager: Jack Bailey
ANNOUNCING THE CAST
Henrietta Leavitt: Alyssa Guadinier
Margaret Leavitt: Karli Reinbold
Peter Shaw: Bjorn Whitney
Williamina Fleming: Jeannine Early
Annie Jump Cannon: Lisa Arden Wright
Henrietta Leavitt changed astronomy forever, before women were even allowed to vote.
When Leavitt moved to Massachusetts to work at the Harvard Observatory, she was told the Great Refractor was reserved for the men only. Drawn to understand the stars and fierce in her conviction, Leavitt used the data she had, the photographic plates of the observations, and pioneered a new way to observe patterns in the images over time.
Silent Sky is the poignant tale of a woman’s relentless sense of inquiry, the weight of a world working against her, and the very human constellation surrounding her heart.
We are still in the unfortunate rut of under-opportunity and under-representation for women in the sciences and tech … women aren't asking for special treatment, we are showing how special we already are and always have been. We're not asking anyone to let us participate, we are exclaiming that we have participated in discoveries, breakthroughs and wild achievement all along.
— Lauren Gunderson, playwright
Silent Sky is a literary marvel. Gunderson crafted a play that is deeply emotional and affecting while also snappy and interesting, rife with humor, and featuring characters that are layered and complex.
— Colin Fleming-Stumpf, BroadwayWorld
Video of Silent Sky Feb 12 part 1
Silent Sky Feb 12 part 2