Silent Sky: 10 Fun Facts

Set in the intimate Eileen and Allen Anes Theatre, Silent Sky tells the true story of the unforgettable female scientist—Henrietta Leavitt––and her cohorts at the Harvard College Observatory who had an incredible impact on astronomy in the early 20th century.

“I am thrilled to explore this inspiring story of breaking barriers and the light in all of us, with a brilliant creative team of collaborators at the Festival,” Director Melinda Pfundstein said. “I can’t wait to begin.”

This is the first time the play has seen Festival stages, so enjoy these ten fun facts below to prepare you for the production. Visit our study guide to learn more about the characters to fully appreciate the facts listed below.

1. Pfundstein is returning to the Festival, having directed The Book of Will, The Merchant of Venice, and All’s Well That Ends Well, among others. She has acted in over 30 Festival productions throughout the years, some of her favorites being Mother in Ragtime, Margaret in Richard III, and Constance in King John.
2. Lauren Gunderson also wrote the play The Book of Will, so although this is Pfundstein’s first time directing Silent Sky, it isn’t her first Gunderson play.
3. Gunderson isn’t only a playwright, but also a musical book writer, screenwriter, and short story/children’s author. She also writes for The Huffington Post and The Wall Street Journal. She has also been one of the most produced playwrights in America (American Theatre Magazine) since 2015, topping the list three times.
4. Before devoting her studies to writing, Gunderson once dreamed of being a physics major. This makes sense as many of Gunderson’s works highlight scientific progress.
5. Henrietta Leavitt made a scientific discovery that changed the world of astronomy forever. She is known for the discovery of the relationship between period and luminosity in Cepheid variable stars. This led to the first distance measurement for a galaxy outside the Milky Way. Ultimately, Leavitt’s discoveries made it possible to map out the universe. The pictures of stars on glass plates that Leavitt used to make her discoveries are still in the Harvard archives.
6. Leavitt worked alongside the famous Scottish astronomer Williamina Fleming, who is known for her discovery of the Horsehead Nebula in 1888 and many other astronomical contributions. Leavitt’s coworker Annie Cannon’s work was also imperative to the development of stellar classification.
7. Following her 1892 graduation from Radcliffe College, Leavitt lost most of her hearing after contracting a serious illness.
8. Projections will be used in the Festival’s production to replicate and illuminate the starry sky. “Light and projection, designed for our play by Jaymi Smith and Joe Payne, will literally paint the picture of the galaxy and the various scene settings, as we navigate the characters’ journey to understanding the light of the stars,” Pfundstein said.
9. Katie Cunningham, who is playing Henrietta Leavitt, was last at the Festival in 2019 and played roles in The Book of Will, Macbeth, and Twelfth Night.
10. Abdul-Khaliq Murtadha is taking on the role of Peter Shaw in Silent Sky, alongside playing Martin Luther King Jr. in The Mountaintop.

Silent Sky previews on July 12 and runs until October 5. Visit bard.org/plays/silent-sky to purchase tickets.