‘Silent Sky’

UTC Theatre presents story of astronomer Henrietta Leavitt

Lauren Gunderson’s inspiring and provocative exploration of the life of astronomer Henrietta Leavitt, “Silent Sky,” will be presented by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Theatre Company in six performances beginning Tuesday, Nov. 14, in the Dorothy Hackett Ward Theatre of the UTC Fine Arts Center.

The play describes how the discoveries of Leavitt, an astronomer at Harvard Observatory in the early 1900s, and her research in variable stars laid the foundation for understanding how to measure the universe.

Known as “computers,” Leavitt and co-workers 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.

The UTC cast of “Silent Sky” includes Maya Abram as Annie Jump Cannon, Samantha Burns as Williamina Fleming, Cierra Dolata as Henrietta Leavitt, Rachel Shannon as Margaret and Nick Sterling as Peter Shaw.

According to American Theatre magazine, Lauren Gunderson is expected to be the most-produced American playwright in the 20172018 season. In an article in The New Yorker, “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.”

“Silent Sky is a poetic and fluid play based in history, yet is not historical,” says Gaye Jeffers, director of the UTC production.

“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 20th- cen- tury America was not a welcoming place for women in the workplace. 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,” says Jeffers.

Tickets are $12 general admission, $10 for students with valid ID.

For more information: 423-425-4269 or www.utc. edu/theatre-speech/productions.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Cierra Dolata plays Henrietta Leavitt in “Silent Sky.”