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Dustin Luca
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SALEM, MASS. – The stars in the night sky are silent from afar, but those performing in Salem State University’s Callan Studio Theatre this month will speak for women in astronomy who had their work discouraged, hidden or stolen by their male counterparts.
Lauren Gunderson’s Silent Sky, on stage at Salem State for the coming two weekends, tells the story of three women whose accomplishments in astronomy went unrecognized, silenced by inequities between the sexes.
The production centers most heavily on the story of Henrietta Leavitt, a “computer” who first began volunteering at the Harvard Observatory in 1895. Her story is packaged with those of Annie Cannon and Williamina Fleming, who both worked alongside Leavitt at the observatory under director and renown male astronomer Edward Charles Pickering.
“She discovered that you could calculate the distance between stars and outer space based on the rate at which their light pulses,” said Ashley Skeffington, guest director of the Salem State Theatre department production. “That laid the groundwork for a number of other advancements. She’s the reason the Hubble telescope could be created, and her work was instrumental in the eventual founding of NASA.”
Karen Gahagan, director of the Center for Creative and Performing Arts, said Silent Sky is a feminist story on women whose accomplishments were forgotten or attributed to others.
“We tell stories. That’s the foundational thing about the arts,” Gahagan said. “Much like the constellations we discovered over time, now we discover new stories giving voice to people, events – even scientific discoveries – that may be overlooked.”
The production will play out of Sullivan Building’s Callan Studio Theater, an intimate North Campus setting that seats only 74. Showtimes will run on the weekends of Oct. 18-20 and 25-27, with start times of 7:30 pm on Friday and Saturday, and 2 pm on Sunday.
Silent Sky is co-sponsored by Salem State’s chemistry and physics departments, as well as the Collins Observatory atop Meier Hall, which is open to the general public on Mondays from 7-10 pm. It’s also presented by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC, serving the Dramatists Play Service collection.
Dennis Gudzevich, a local astronomer who runs the Collins Observatory, said he recalled starting out with astronomy about 70 years ago, back at a time when “all the information about the universe was given by men.”
“I didn’t learn until much later how many women were involved with astronomy, and how little credit they received for their efforts,” Gudzevich said. “I’m glad to report that the situation has changed.”
To that end, Gudzevich further said the story doesn’t end with Silent Sky’s curtain call. He then ran a list of other women astronomers deserving recognition, many of whom are still alive today.
“There are many more examples of the notable women in astronomy that have influenced my particular interests in astronomy,” Gudzevich said. “My thanks to the many unsung heroic women such as Henrietta Swan Leavitt for our understanding of the universe, and thanks to the others that follow.”
Tickets are $15 for general audiences, $10 for seniors, free for students with a student ID, and free to those under the age of 18. Reserve your seats in advance at salemstatetickets.com, and visit the production’s event page for more information.