Lipscomb Theatre kicks off new season with Silent Sky Feb. 15
Fans of the 2016 movie Hidden Figures should love Lipscomb University’s upcoming production of Silent Sky, another little-known story of a female pioneer in science by award-winning playwright Lauren Gunderson, showcases main character Henrietta Leavitt, an astronomer ahead of her time.
Anna Moseley |
Fans of the 2016 movie Hidden Figures should love Lipscomb University’s upcoming production of Silent Sky, another little-known story of a female pioneer in science by award-winning playwright Lauren Gunderson, showcases main character Henrietta Leavitt, an astronomer ahead of her time.
The play, beginning performances on Feb. 15, will depict Leavitt’s “ability to overcome struggle and circumstance and find a way to pursue her passion and offer something to the world,” said Beki Baker, chair of Lipscomb’s theatre department.
“It is a beautiful, powerful story about a real historical figure,” said Beki Baker, chair of Lipscomb’s theatre department. “It is about women and science and what women have to offer the world and I think that is really relevant to what we are doing today.”
Based on the true story Silent Sky dramatizes Leavitt’s quest for recognition in a predominately male profession as one of Harvard Observatory’s “computers.” Her job was similar to the female “computers” depicted in NASA in Hidden Figures.
Similarly to how the women in Hidden Figures served as the brains behind the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, Leavitt's discoveries lead Edwin Hubble to his discoveries.
The play features a small cast of five students, which Beki Baker said allows her to dig deeper into the material with the cast. Merrie Shearer, Lauren Yawn, Brooke Bethel, Annika Burley and Sam Kell, the only male in the play, will take the audience back to the early 1900s through the life of Leavitt.
Performances are Feb. 15-16, 22-23 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 17 and 24 at 2:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $15 for adults, $10 for faculty/staff/alumni, and $5 for students. University students receive one free ticket per show. For tickets, contact the Lipscomb Box Office at 615.966.7077.
On Feb. 16, the theatre department will preform a special sign language interpreted performance of Silent Sky to provide an opportunity for a larger audience to enjoy the piece.
Purchase tickets to Silent Sky online.
Also, this month for science buffs: Lipscomb University's Department of English and Modern Languages is pleased to present author Margot Lee Shetterly, author of Hidden Figures, as the annual Landiss Lecture speaker.