Lauren Gunderson’s play, presented by Flat Earth Theatre, depicts the life and career of Cambridge’s Henrietta Leavitt.
In the Northern California debut of Playwright Lauren Gunderson's "Silent Sky,"we get period costumes, rich dialogue and a homage to Henrietta Leavitt, the female astronomer who made pioneering discoveries in the clubby scientific man's world of the early twentieth century. Scenic Designer Annie Smart takes us inside the Harvard Observatory, which ties a satisfying knot at the end of Act Two, and costume designer Fumiko Bielefeldt must have had a lot of fun with the dresses. In many ways, the heart of Gunderson's story is the relationship between two different sets of women. Elena Wright and Jennifer Le Blanc play Henrietta Leavitt and her sister Margaret. We see two women who, while different in many ways, are still sisters who rely on one another. In her scientific world, Leavitt has an even more sisterly relationship with her two colleagues Annie Cannon (Sarah Dacey Charles) and Williamina Fleming (Lynne Soffer). The more earthy Fleming and flinty Cannon counsel Henrietta on her work but, more importantly, teach her how to get around the condescending Harvard power structure. Peter Shaw plays Matt Citron, the Harvard associate who appears to be Henrietta's love interest. But science is this woman's muse as well as her dream. "Silent Sky" teaches us about astronomy while giving us a fabulous ending to the story of the woman who in real life discovered more than 2,400 stars. The First Act feels long, but after intermission pays off resolutely. RATINGS: ☼ ☼ ☼ BANG The San Francisco Theater Blog Awards Division awards "Silent Sky" Three Stars with a BANGLE OF PRAISE. The writing, acting and production are all first rate while the BANGLE is for the three hanky finale, which wraps up the astronomer's career and and keeps the audience smiling as we exit. We loved this play and you will too. --------- "Silent Sky" Mountain View Center for Performing Arts 500 Castro Street, Mountain View Through Feb 9 $19 (30 and under) - $73 Photo Credits: M. Kitaoka and T. Martin
TheatreWorks, Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St., Mountain...
Most textbooks on the history of astronomy—or any type of history, for that matter—feature almost entirely male names and faces. Limited historical opportunities for women contribute to this, of co…
Chemainus Theatre is a sister company to Pacific Theatre, and while their Christian mandate finds different expression than ours, there's always been a lot of connection. In 1993 I directed their inaugural production, TALLEY'S FOLLY – starring Lucia Frangione (PT's first apprentice, and the most-produced playwright on our stage) and Tim Dixon (a member of our resident company from 1994 to 1997, last seen here in THE SEAFARER, slated to play Warnie Lewis in TOLKIEN next spring). Lucia was in fact the Artistic Director of Chemainus a few years later, a position subsequently held for many years by Jeremy Tow (who directed such PT shows as A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS and MASS APPEAL), and then by Mark Dumez (who originated the role of Bend in MERCY WILD). You saw Mark's wife Erin Ormond play Elizabeth in our recent production of THE CHRISTIANS, and you may have seen her Jessie-nominated performance as Margaret Thatcher in The Arts Club production of THE AUDIENCE early this year. Jeremy's wife Anita Wittenberg shared the stage with Lucia Frangione (and Craig Erickson, and others) in our 1990 production of THE FURNITURE OF HEAVEN, and was more recently seen here in MOURNING DOVE before moving away to Kamloops. All of which is a circuitous way of leading up to the fact that Anita has moved back to Vancouver, and can be seen in what looks to be a splendid production of SILENT SKY at Chemainus Theatre right now – directed by the aforementioned Mark Dumez. Might be worth a trip to the Island to check it out... Silent Sky by Lauren Gunderson at the Chemainus Theatre Festival until November 4 "From the depths of the human soul to the vastness of space, Silent Sky is a transcendent journey filled with passion and love. Henrietta Leavitt was at the forefront of ground-breaking research in early 20th century astronomy, single-handedly discovering over 2400 variable stars (half those identified up to that point). Yet, today, her legacy is largely unrecognized by the general public. Playwright Lauren Gunderson sets out to rectify this oversight through gripping dialogue that pulsates with vigor and humour, painting a clear picture of the challenges Henrietta encountered during a lifetime devoted to the stars...." entire review here
The Harem Effect is the practice of male scientists hiring women to staff research teams. Williamina Flemming of Harvard Observatory surpassed the effect.
(This review is by American-Statesman freelance arts critic Andrew J. Friedenthal.) Lauren Gunderson’s play Silent Sky is a straightforward
Given the general unfamiliarity with Henrietta Leavitt, Cepheid variable stars or the relationship between the period of a Cepheid and its luminosity, Gunderson brings the audience an amazing distance with this relatively complex material.
Theater review: This gently touching tale remembers an early 20th Century scientist who helped discover how far away stars really are.
Williamina Fleming was just supposed to help the director of the Harvard Observatory with household tasks. Instead, she changed the course of astronomy.
This week I had the opportunity to meet with Lindsay Smith, the Curator of Astronomical Photographs at the Harvard College Observatory. This position was originally created for Williamina Flemming…
Annie Jump Cannon was a female astronomer best known for coming up with the current system of stellar classification. She was one of the so-called Harvard computers who analyzed photographic plates of the stars.
Discovered in the late 18th century, Cepheid Variable stars have become an important tool for measuring the size of the Universe.
Eight foundational images from the archives of the Carnegie Observatories.
This Northern Texas theatre company, begun as a community theatre, now brings new professional work to area audiences.
Henrietta Swan Leavitt, American astronomer known for her discovery of the relationship between period and luminosity in Cepheid variables, pulsating stars that vary regularly in brightness in periods ranging from a few days to several months. Learn about her life and career.
Just Being Fancy Lookin' at the Stars - School Fails
Parce que la Journée de la femme, ce n'est pas que le 8 mars, Futura souhaite vous faire découvrir, ou redécouvrir, ces femmes qui ont fait avancer le monde de la science. Elles sont parfois très...
In “The Glass Universe,” science writer Dava Sobel shines a light on the women at the Harvard Observatory who mapped the stars.
Learn more about the women who fought for the right to vote, including Flora Drummond, Kitty Marion, Charlotte Marsh and Ada Flatman.
A century later, the identities of women who mapped over 481,000 stars are finally known
In the early 20th century, a team of female astronomers at Harvard developed the star classification system we still use today.
One woman, after being abandoned while pregnant by her husband, got a job as a maid and ended up discovering the Horsehead Nebula.
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