URI Theater opens season with true story of pioneering female astronomers in ‘Silent Sky’ – URI News

KINGSTON, RI – October 8, 2021 – Audiences will have a history lesson – as well as an overview of the science of astronomy – as the University of Rhode Island’s Department of Theater opens the season on Thursday, October 14 with “Silent Sky” by Lauren Gunderson. “

Written in 2015, “Silent Sky” tells the true story of 19eAstronomer Henrietta Leavitt and her fellow researchers – or “computers” – at the Harvard University Observatory who set the standard still used today for measuring distances in space while discovering thousands of stars . Twenty years before women’s suffrage, “computers” continued their passion for astronomy in a society that limited the role of women while the merit of their discoveries was rejected or claimed by male astronomers.

“Silent Sky” is also returning the URI theater to the public for the first time since March 2020, when theaters around the world were closed due to the pandemic. To attend “Silent Sky”, members of the public must be vaccinated and wear a mask inside the Palace of Fine Arts. On stage, the actors will be unmasked, but will stay at least 3 feet from each other and from the audience. (Please see URI Theater COVID-19 policy.)

“There’s nothing quite like live theater,” says director Tracy Liz Miller, who joined the drama department as a speaker this semester. “Doing things on Zoom without the interaction and the relationship with the audience is not the same thing. It’s just gratifying to be back in a rehearsal room and talking in detail about a piece and working with collaborators and designers. Much like Henrietta Leavitt, we are all thankful that we are obsessed with a project.

Carleigh Boyle ’22, who plays Henrietta Leavitt, will perform her first play in front of an audience since her second year. Despite the security warrants, she says she is a little nervous, but very excited.

“All of the cast and crew were so excited to do theater,” said Boyle, a theater and animal science student at Hillsdale, New Jersey. “But we also continued all the fun traditions we have at the URI theater, such as pre-show warm-ups, gifts for seniors, listening to music in the locker room, sleepover day. We haven’t been able to do all of this in a while, and it’s like a breath of fresh air to start over.

Audrey Visscher ’22, a major in theater and cinema from Piscataway, New Jersey, is also delighted to return to the live theater. Last year, Visscher worked on the light board for “Miss Nelson is Missing!”, A stage production that was recorded and broadcast online.

“The rehearsals were very optimistic, but also very cautious,” says Visscher, the assistant director and lighting designer, who helped oversee safety measures during rehearsals. “We want to be as safe as possible to make sure we can open the theater to members of the audience live.”

In “Silent Sky”, Leavitt and his fellow “computers” – a person who is hired to perform complex calculations in his head or with pencil and paper – had to have an absolute passion for astronomy and stubbornly pursue it in order to win. an opportunity to work at the Harvard Observatory, Miller says.

Yet Leavitt and her fellow researchers, Annie Cannon and Williamina Fleming, worked for ridiculously low wages compared to male astronomers. They were also not allowed to touch the observatory’s large refracting telescope and had to use photographic glass plates to map the stars.

“The work was super precise and ridiculously repetitive,” Miller says. ” It is ironical. This repetitiveness allowed them to become extremely intimate with the sky and to understand a system in which we map and measure the distance of stars. They created a standard which is now absolutely necessary.

Along with a history lesson, “Silent Sky” explores the strength of the family found relationships of “computers” and the passion and attractiveness of work and relationships.

“There wasn’t a lot of choice for women back then,” Miller says. “Working often meant choosing that over marriage and home. There weren’t many men who were like, “You want to be a scientist and be my wife – fabulous. This simply has not been done in upper middle class society.

For Boyle, playing Henrietta, who died 100 years ago this year, has special meaning. “Silent Sky” has become one of her favorite pieces since reading in second grade, and Henrietta is a dream model and role.

“In the play, Henrietta is a fun, wacky, passionate, whip-smart character,” Boyle explains. “All of the scenes in this piece are so vibrant, beautiful and inspiring. It’s amazing how each character and relationship grows throughout the series.

To help create an accurate portrait of the early 1900s, students worked with David Howard, president of the theater and costume designer for the show, to learn how to move around in period clothing, while also learning etiquette. everyday life of the times and an understanding of the vast scientific changes and the astronomical instruments that were used.

In a room on the stars, lighting also plays a big role.

“Lighting is almost a sixth character in this piece,” says Visscher, in her first role as a lighting designer. “All the stars help tell a story that would be incomplete without them. Lighting also helps with transitions and tells the audience where and when we are. And it makes it easier to locate the characters, whether they are in the same room or miles apart.

Miller wanted the actors to fully capture the world their characters lived in so that they understood the importance of Henrietta’s accomplishments.

“It’s not like it’s a one-day play in the life of an astronomer,” says Miller. “No, this is a revolutionary and amazing human being who, against all odds, did what she did.”

“Silent sky” takes place October 14-16 and October 21-23 at 7:30 p.m. and October 17-24 at 2:00 p.m. at the J Studio at the Fine Arts Center, 105 Upper College Road, Kingston Campus. Tickets cost $ 20 for general admission and $ 15 for seniors and URI students, faculty, and staff. Tickets can be purchased at the URI Theater box office at the Palais des Beaux-Arts or by calling (401) 874-5843.

The main cast
Role, actor, hometown

Henrietta Leavitt, Carleigh Boyle, Hillsdale, New Jersey
Margaret Leavitt, Jenna Wentworth, Tewksbury, Massachusetts
Peter Shaw, Ben Pereira, Danbury, Connecticut
Annie Cannon, Alana Parrott, Webster, Massachusetts
Williamina Fleming, Sarah Taylor, Providence

Liner casting

Henrietta Leavitt, Zoe Pepin, Maynard, Massachusetts
Margaret Leavitt, Olivia Humulock, Narragansett
Peter Shaw, Manny Maldonado, Newport
Annie Cannon, Kayla Ribeiro, Pawtucket
Williamina Fleming, Naomi Tyler, Warwick

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