Silent Sky at Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre

Silent Sky tells the true story of Henrietta Leavitt, an astronomer ahead of her time. It is 1900, and Henrietta has the opportunity to work at Harvard University as a human computer, one of Dr. Edward Pickering’s “harem,” mapping the stars but receiving no scientific credit. Eager to use Harvard’s telescope—the Great Refractor—Harriet is told that she will not be able to do any sort of astronomical discovery. She will only log the stars photographed by the men of the department. Undeterred, Henrietta begins the process of recording the changes in Cepheid stars - a scientific discovery that has profound and lasting impact on the field of astronomy. Committed to her inquiry, the strain tilts the orbits of her other relationships: her sister Margaret, her love interest Peter Shaw, and her colleagues Annie Cannon and Willamina Fleming– which flicker in favor of a great cosmic mystery. Silent Sky is the true, beautiful tale of a woman’s dedication to her passion for the stars, of the song that is life and space and the human touch that makes life under the vast sky tender, beautiful and timeless.