SKIPPACK – Reaching for the stars is difficult even with the magnitude of the largest state-of-the-art telescope in the world. In the stage play “Silent Sky,” by prolific playwright Lauren Gunderson, her most enlightening and poignant historical drama is a fictionalized historic account of a female astronomer – Henrietta Swan Leavitt – and her intriguing mark on the scientific community at Harvard during the turn of the 20th century.
“The story celebrates unsung women in science,” said Director Margo Weishar.
In the male-dominated field of astronomy, the story lends to our current view and understanding of the universe. “It’s a fascinating story … and relevant to today’s world,” added Weishar.
It’s 1900 and Leavitt, a bright Radcliffe grad (played by Caity Brown), has the opportunity to leave her Midwest family’s home in Wisconsin to work in the Harvard Observatory at the prestigious university. Social norms at the time precluded women from full-on participation in the sciences, and Leavitt’s hopes are all but dashed at her assignment of having to map and log the stars as opposed to working on – or even touching – the “Great Refractor.”
Reminiscent of the plight endured by the brilliant female mathematicians at NASA in the movie “Hidden Figures,” Leavitt and her colleagues (Annie is played by Rose Murphy, and Williamena is played by Barb Hannevig) are human “computers.” Their work is tedious as they silently hunker down in a small room tending to minute details. However, at the end of her work shift, Leavitt finds more to focus on than merely logging minutia for a male astronomer (played by Eric Rupp).
Over a period of 18 years, the audience will witness what Leavitt discovers by night as she sets her sights heavenly. The focus of her dedication to astronomy and the scope of her inquiries finds her somewhat out of focus with earthly matters, and she struggles to find the balance between personal issues, family, and potential love. Her sister Margaret (played by Courtney Boches) back in Wisconsin urges her to come home, while a love interest (Rupp), is also a distraction. Meanwhile, her star-focused pursuits end up pushing her forward until her own star finds a brilliance of its own.
“A lot of historical threads are wrapped up in the story,” said Weishar of the two-hour show with a short intermission.
With the suffragette movement that came on the heels of this story, “Silent Sky” shines a memorable spotlight on the themes of women in science and the struggle for them to be heard.
