Silent Sky

UTC Theatre Co. presents Lauren Gunderson’s brilliant play Silent Sky, an inspiring and provocative exploration of the life of Henrietta Leavitt, an astronomer at the Harvard Observatory in the early 1900s whose discoveries and research in variable stars laid the foundation for understanding how to measure the universe.

Known as “computers”, Leavitt and her coworkers, Annie Jump Cannon and Williamina Fleming, were members of a select group of women whose careful research and study of photographic plates, mapped the sky. According to American Theatre magazine, Lauren Gunderson will be the most produced American playwright in the 2017-2018 season.

In an article in The New Yorker titled “You’ve Probably Never Heard of America’s Most Popular Playwright”, Daniel Pollack-Pelzner wrote that “Gunderson has built a national reputation with works that center on women’s stories. A typical Gunderson protagonist resembles her author:  smart, funny, collaborative, optimistic – a woman striving to expand the ranks in a male-dominated profession.”

The creative team includes: Gaye Jeffers (director and sound design), Adam Miecielica (set design), Kimberly Davis (costume design), Alex Miller-Long (lighting design), and John R. Burgess (technical director).

Director Gaye Jeffers says, “Silent Sky is a poetic and fluid play that is based in history yet is not historical. It is a journey about following your passion, despite personal and professional obstacles. Lauren Gunderson shares a universal story about folks who push the limits of what society is comfortable with at any given time.

Early 20^th century America was not a welcoming place for women in the work place. Henrietta Leavitt pushed against societal barriers and forged her own way. With a driving passion and a twinkle in her eye, the character of Henrietta invites us all to stop what we’re doing and look up at the night sky and let the wonder of the universe ignite us.”

UTC Theatre Co. presents Silent Sky in the Dorothy Hackett Ward Theatre located in the UTC Fine Arts Center. The play runs November 14 – 18 at 7:30 pm, with an additional matinee at 2:00 pm on Saturday, November 18^th. Tickets can be purchased at the UTC Fine Arts Center box office in person or by phone at (423) 425-4269, or by visiting www.utc.edu/theatre-speech/productions. Tickets are $12 general admission, $10 for students (with proof of student ID) and seniors.

The company of Silent Sky includes: Maya Abram (Annie Jump Cannon), Samantha Burns (Williamina Fleming), Cierra Dolata (Henrietta Leavitt), Rachel Shannon (Margaret), and Nick Sterling (Peter Shaw). Stage manager is Skylar Ramsey with Claire Johnson as the assistant stage manager.