Silent Sky
by Lauren Gunderson

Name: Silent Sky
Brand: Lauren Gunderson
SKU: 9780822233800
Rating: 4.26 (606 reviews)

Silent Sky Book Cover — Silent Sky Cover

Highlights

Small Cast

Female

Male

105 mins 1920s Strong Role for Leading Woman (Star Vehicle) Unit Set/Multiple Settings Period Costumes American Historical

Synopsis

Play - 4w, 1mWhen 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.

Press Reviews

"In Silent Sky, a pioneer claims her place among astronomy’s stars."
— Boston Globe

"Gunderson’s writing strikes a balance between the cerebral and poetic that’s ideal for this subject matter. She has a flair for a nicely turned line… exceptionally effective stage writing."
— Houston Chronicle

"Mind-expanding. Heart-expanding."
— Theater Dogs

Characters

Character	Gender	Age	Description
Margaret Leavitt 30s, homebody, creative, sweet, sister.	female	30s	30s, homebody, creative, sweet, sister.
Peter Shaw 30s, the head astronomer’s apprentice… and the man.	—	30s	30s, the head astronomer’s apprentice… and the man.
Annie Cannon 40s, the leader, terse and sure, grows into a firebrand.	—	40s	40s, the leader, terse and sure, grows into a firebrand.
Williamina Fleming 50s, smart as a whip and fun, Scottish.	—	50s	50s, smart as a whip and fun, Scottish.
Henrietta Leavitt 30s, brilliant, meticulous, excited, almost always wearing a period hearing-aid.	—	30s	30s, brilliant, meticulous, excited, almost always wearing a period hearing-aid.