Silent Sky

Lauren Gunderson

March 10th - 26th, 2017
Mosesian Center for the Arts
  • General Admission: $25
  • Student*: $10
*Door only. Student ID required

Tickets

  • General Admission: $25
  • Student*: $10
*Door only. Student ID required
Poster

At Harvard Observatory at the turn of the 20th century, Henrietta Leavitt joins a group of women tasked with charting the heavens without being allowed to touch a telescope. Despite restrictions placed on her because of her sex, Henri devotes her life to the study of celestial bodies just out of reach, balancing the needs of love and family close at hand. Inspired by the real-life woman whose work allowed astronomers to measure the distance of faraway galaxies, Lauren Gunderson's melodious, evocative Silent Sky challenges how we explore our universe by revealing the music of the stars.

Silent Sky is made possible in part by a grant from the Boston Foundation.

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Watertown Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

Join Us for Post-show Talkbacks

Sunday, March 12, 2017, 2pm: Lindsay Smith, Curator of Astronomical Photographs & Archivist at the plate stacks at Harvard College Observatory
Friday, March 17, 2017, 8pm: Dava Sobel, New York Times best-selling author of The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars (also joined by Lindsay Smith)
Sunday, March 19, 2017, 2pm: Lindsay Smith, Curator of Astronomical Photographs & Archivist at the plate stacks at Harvard College Observatory 

 
 

When & Where

March 2017
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
5
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8P
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8P
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2P
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17
8P
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8P
19
2P
20
7:30P
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8P
24
8P
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2P 8P
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2P
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1 apr

Mosesian Center for the Arts

321 Arsenal Street
Watertown, MA

Cast

Staff

Media & Links

  • Program (643kB)
  • Electronic Press Kit (1663kB)
  • Cast Announcement Meet the astronomers of Silent Sky!
  • "Where Are We" Project Blog Scientists, artists, thinkers, and dreamers ponder the question "Where are we?" in leading up to performances of Silent Sky
  • EDGE Boston Interview: Juliet Bowler "...we got to go to the great refractor. I became incredibly emotional, realizing I was starting at this telescope, closer to it than Williamina Fleming ever got in her lifetime."
  • WBUR Interview "“It was so amazing to get to go to the observatory and see the plates — actually hold in your hands the plates that Henrietta used to make her discoveries and the actual note books that she wrote in.” -Erin Eva Butcher
  • Video: Silent Sky Interviews "If you have walked outside and looked up at the stars, you should see this play. If you've ever had a sense of wonder, then this play is for you." -Dori A. Robinson
  • Review: Boston Arts Review "See it for the remarkable script or the superb Flat Earth production: This is what a fringe company can do with good material and a boatload of passion!" -Beverly Creasey
  • Review: Broadway World Boston "Flat Earth Theatre stages a really solid production that is entertaining, educational, and even kind of awe-inspiring." -Nancy Grossman
  • Review: Boston and Beyond "Learning history has never been so engaging, funny, and passionate. This production, replete with a perfect cast and riveting script provides a “stellar” (excuse the pun) entertainment experience. It takes the audience on a journey filled with laughter, tears and joy." -Susan Mulford
  • Review: Boston Globe "Flat Earth Theatre’s first-rate production of “Silent Sky,’’ a New England premiere deftly directed by Dori A. Robinson ... affords you an opportunity to make the acquaintance of both Gunderson and Leavitt while also savoring the excellent performances of a five-member cast led by Erin Eva Butcher." -Don Aucoin
  • Review: Theater Mirror "Flat Earth’s creative team takes this wonderful script and elevates it into a celestial theatrical experience. ...“Silent Sky” is a luminous example of just how good “small” theatre can be." -Mike Hoban
  • Review: Arts Fuse "Of course, a smart and incisive text still depends on dedicated performers to bring it to life, and the Flat Earth production more than lives up to the expectation. Each member of the cast shines both as an individual and as part of the ensemble." -Erik Nikander
  • Review: New England Theatre Geek "Butcher as Henrietta does a nice job of portraying a passionate woman determined to pursue her dreams while subconsciously pushing away her family, all without making the character’s motives feel forced or unnatural." -Travis Manni
  • Review: White Rhino Report "This play hit the jackpot. I felt deeply. I thought deeply. I learned deeply. It was one of the most satisfying theater-going experiences of this current season led by one of the best ensemble casts. Bravo!" -Al Chase
  • Review: EDGE, Boston "It's one of the great pleasures of the theater that your imagination can be provoked the way "Silent Sky" does. You go into a black box space, but you feel as though the universe is opening up to you, just as it does for Henrietta." -Kilian Melloy
  • WGBH Picks of the Week "Fascinating and moving, [Flat Earth Theatre] deftly delivers a story about mapping the universe and a group of stoic, unsung women right into your heart." -Jared Bowen
  • 2017 Elliot Norton Award Nominees • Nomination for Outstanding Production, Fringe Theater: Silent Sky
    • Nomination for Outstanding Actress, Small or Fringe Theater: Erin Eva Butcher
  • 2017 Elliot Norton Award Winners • Winner for Outstanding Production, Fringe Theater: Silent Sky
  • WBUR's Year in Local Theater "The production boasted a top-notch cast featuring Erin Eva Butcher, Juliet Bowler and Cassandra Meyer. The creative staging and design work ... underscored the power of theater to remind us of lessons learned that are worth remembering." -Kilian Melloy
  • 22nd Annual IRNE Nominations • Nomination for Best Ensemble, Small Stage: Silent Sky
    • Nomination for Best Supporting Actress, Fringe: Juliet Bowler
    • Nomination for Best Actress, Fringe: Erin Eva Butcher
    • Nomination for Best Director, Fringe: Dori A. Robinson
    • Nomination for Best Play, Fringe: Silent Sky
  • 22nd Annual IRNE Award Winners • Winner for Best Supporting Actress, Fringe: Juliet Bowler