Silent Sky

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When Henrietta Leavitt begins work at the Harvard Observatory in the early 1900s, she isn’t 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 calculates projects in “girl hours” and 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, trying to balance her dedication to science with family obligations and the possibility of love. The true story of 19th-century astronomer Henrietta Leavitt explores 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. Social progress, like scientific progress, can be hard to see when one is trapped among earthly complications; Henrietta Leavitt and her female peers believe in both, and their dedication changed the way we understand both the heavens and Earth.

Commissioned and first produced by South Coast Repertory with support from the Elizabeth George Foundation.

Beyond Page & Stage: Silent Sky Panel
a discussion of Lauren Gunderson’s play through the lens of historiography, disability studies and representation, and Women in STEM

curated by Aniko Szucs PhD, Visiting Assistant Professor at Skidmore College Theater

Alex Vermillion (ze/zir/zirs) is a dramaturg, artist, and educator. Zir dramaturgy credits include blues for miss lucille at the Yale School of Drama; Henry VI, Part III and The Two Noble Kinsmen with Play On Shakespeare; and We Are Proud to Present… at the Yale Cabaret. Ze is currently the PR & Digital Content Writer for Play On Shakespeare and has been a guest artist at festivals such as the Great Plains Theatre Commons. At Yale, Alex served as Co-Artistic Director of the Yale Cabaret and a Managing Editor at Theater magazine. Alex received zir M.F.A. in Dramaturgy & Dramatic Criticism at YSD (2020), and zir B.A. in English and Theatre at the University of Utah (2016).

Mary Crone Odekon is Professor and Chair of Physics Department at Skidmore College, where she studies the formation of galaxies and large-scale structure in the universe. She has approached this problem using computer simulations as well as data from a variety of telescopes, including the Hubble Space Telescope and the Arecibo Radio Observatory. Dr. Odekon teaches across the curriculum, having developed over twenty distinct courses. She currently serves on the Lever Press Editorial Board, the board of the Astronomical Society of New York, and Dudley Observatory Board. She earned a BS from the College of William and Mary and a PhD from the University of Michigan, and has also worked at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and the University of Pittsburgh.

Shayoni Mitra is a senior lecturer at the Department of Theatre at Barnard College at Columbia University. Her research focusses on political performances, particularly through a transnational lens. She teaches courses on performance theory, gender theory, Asian performance and postcolonial drama. She has published in various peer-reviewed academic journals like the TDR, ATJ, CSAAME, and the EPW. She served as South Asian area editor for Asian Theatre Journal from 2013-2020, and served on the Executive Council of the American Society for Theatre Research from 2018-2021. She is currently co-chair of the Commission of the Status of Women at Columbia University. She received her PhD in Performance Studies from New York University, and Masters and Bachelors in English Literature from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University.

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