A woman’s journey finding her way in the male-dominated field of astronomy is the focus of an upcoming theatre production at Linfield College. “Silent Sky” by Lauren Gunderson sheds light on the forgotten women scientists in history.
The production features the full-length play by Gunderson. Daniel Pollack-Pelzner, the Ronni Lacroute Chair in Shakespeare Studies at Linfield College, said she “has built a national reputation with works that center on women’s stories” in an article in “The New Yorker.” This year, Linfield Theatre’s 98th season, is spotlighting Gunderson’s plays.
“Silent Sky” runs April 12-14 and 19-21 at 7:30 p.m. in the Marshall Theatre in Ford Hall at Linfield, with a matinee on Sunday, April 15, at 2 p.m. A short question and answer session with the designers and director will be held on April 12, after the opening-night performance.
“Silent Sky” is a fictional account of the historical, “star-finding fiend” Henrietta Leavitt, one of Harvard Observatory’s women tasked with “bookkeeping” the stars for male astronomers, most notably Edward Charles Pickering, in the early 1900s. During her career, Leavitt discovered more than 2,400 variable stars, roughly half of the known total in that era. Her keen observation and mathematic skills led to her discovery of the period-luminosity relation of Cepheid variables, which radically changed the theory of modern astronomy — an accomplishment for which she received almost no recognition during her lifetime. This production sheds light on two other historical “computers” for Harvard Observatory, Willamina Fleming and Annie Cannon. Together with Leavitt and others, these women successfully mapped and catalogued every star in the sky.
This production is presented by the Linfield Theatre Program and is a Linfield PLACE (Program for Liberal Arts and Civic Engagement) event. It is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York. The play is directed by Janet Gupton, associate professor of theatre arts and resident director.
Tickets are $9 for full price; $7 for seniors (62+), $7 for Linfield faculty and staff (two tickets per ID); and $5 for students (age 10+, any school, one ticket per ID); with a $2 discount on all tickets on opening night. Seating is reserved. Tickets are available online at www.linfield.edu/arts and at the Marshall Theatre Box Office beginning Monday, April 3, at 3 p.m. The Marshall Theatre is fully accessible.
For more information, call 503-883-2292.
