Covenant College Theatre Department will present the story of Henrietta Leavitt, a young woman who defied early 20th-century expectations, in five performances beginning Friday, Oct. 4.
“Silent Sky” will be performed in Sanderson Auditorium on Covenant’s campus, 14049 Scenic Highway, Lookout Mountain. Show times are 8 p.m. Oct. 4-5 and 10-11 and 2:30 p.m. Oct. 12. There will be a faculty panel discussion following the matinee performance on Oct. 12.
In “Silent Sky,” Henrietta, an ambitious young woman, accepts a job at Harvard Observatory. Upon arrival, she is anxious to use the telescope to probe her unanswered questions about the distance of the stars, and where Earth’s place is in the universe.
But being a woman, she is barred from using the telescope. Instead, she is employed as a “computer,” one of the girls instructed to chart the stars facilitating her employer’s research. Henrietta becomes so wrapped up in her work that she neglects Margaret, her sister, and Peter Shaw, a colleague vying for her attention.
“In Henrietta’s search to answer the literal question, ‘Where are we in the universe,’ she discovers how meaning comes from something far outside of ourselves,” said sophomore Cara Smole, director of “Silent Sky.”
Playwright Lauren Gunderson often writes about women, particularly overlooked female scientists. In “Silent Sky,” Gunderson has given audiences a story about Henrietta’s achievements as well as those of her mentors, Annie Cannon and Williamina Fleming, accomplished astronomers in their own right. This recognition of their achievements and supportive relationships contributed to Smole’s admiration for and desire to direct the play.
Tickets are $10 general admission, $7 senior adults, students and Covenant employees. Tickets may be purchased by calling 706-419-1051 or online at https://www.covenant.edu/academics/undergrad/theatre/productions