A Staged Reading of the Play: Silent Sky

The play Silent Sky is based on the true story of 19th-century astronomer Henrietta Swan Leavitt as she experiences 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. When Henrietta Leavitt begins work at the Harvard Observatory in the early 1900s, she is not 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 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, balancing her dedication to science with family ties and the possibility of love. Playwright Lauren Gunderson, from Atlanta, received her BA in English/Creative Writing at Emory University, and her MFA in Dramatic Writing at NYU Tisch. She was named the most produced playwright in America by American Theatre Magazine for the 2017-18 season and was awarded the 2016 Lanford Wilson Award from the Dramatist Guild. The staged reading is directed by Kate Marie Folkins who directed a full production of the play in April 2017 with Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company. Some of the play’s actors as well as a historian-scientist will be available for a talkback discussion after the play reading. Produced by Brian Schwartz, CUNY and Smitha Vishveshwara, University of Illinois, Urbana- Champaign. Co-Sponsored by: The Forum on Outreach and Engaging the Public, The Forum on Physics and Society, The Forum on Education, The Committee on the Status of Women in Physics, and The Division of Astrophysics.