"Silent Sky"- Another Play

Gary, Jena and I headed off to Hale Theatre again on Monday evening, August 15 to see "Silent Sky." in the Jewel Box Theatre.  I had never heard of this play but was interested as it was billed as a historical fiction based on a true story of Henrietta Leavitt.  In the director's note in the play bill, he wrote: 

"Henrietta Leavitt had a brilliance and a light within that generated an enormous desire for her to communicate with the magical universe of the stars above us. She and other women of comparable brilliance found themselves banding together to chart the skies. These luminous women gave us the tools to map out the night sky and revolutionized the way scientists classified the stars."  

Set in the early 1900s, it tells her story of passion for the stars and the struggle to deal with the society's expectations of what women can and can not do.  In spite of that, she was able to make significant contributions to the understanding of the universe and of stars.  At a time when many thought the Milky Way was the universe, she helped prove it was not and that stars were much further away that science had considered.  It was well-done and made me cry.  I love the stories of fellow humans who follow their passions and contribute to the world of man.  (And as always, I am honored by the talents of actors and directors and writers who share their gifts with us through theatre, literature, and music.)

The stage in the Jewel Box theatre---she was not allowed to use the telescope at Harvard for her research but had to map the stars using plates made by men taking pictures with the telescope.  Near the end of her life, according to the play, she was finally allowed to see the stars herself after being recognized for her work in star mapping.  She received a Noble prize after her death.

The world and the people in it are AMAZING!