SILENT SKY By Lauren Gunderson is Set to Run at Theatre 40

Silent Sky, a play by Lauren Gunderson, will run at Theatre 40 from March 17th through April 17th, 2022. The show will play Thursdays through Saturdays at 8:00 p.m, with Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m. The production is directed by Ann Hearn Tobolowsky and produced for Theatre 40 by David Hunt Stafford. Silent Sky is the story of a real woman whose life and discoveries were significant in their impact on Man's (and Woman's) next steps into the universe at large.

Theatre 40 is located in the Reuben Cordova Theatre, 241 S. Moreno Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90212. The venue is on the campus of Beverly Hills High School. Free parking is available in the parking lot beneath the theatre. To access parking, enter through the driveway at the intersection of Durant and Moreno Drives. Tickets are $35. To book seats, call (310) 364-0535 or go online here.

When Henrietta Leavitt begins work at the Harvard Observatory in the early 1900s, she isn't allowed to touch a telescope or express an original idea. Instead, she joins a group of women "computers," charting the stars for a renowned astronomer who calculates projects in "girl hours" and has no time for the women's probing theories. As Henrietta, in her free time, attempts to measure the light and distance of stars, she must also take measure of her life on Earth, trying to balance her dedication to science with family obligations and the possibility of love. The true story of 19th-century astronomer Henrietta Leavitt explores a woman's place in society during a time of immense scientific discoveries.

Lauren Gunderson is the playwright of 21 produced plays. The recipient of an MFA from Tisch School of the Arts, she is a winner of the Berrilla Kerr Award. Her previous works include A Short History of Nearly Everything; The Van Gogh Café; The Happy Elf; The Amazing Adventures of Dr. Wonderful and Her Dog!;I and You (made into a film starring Game of Thrones' Maisie Williams); and many more. Silent Sky had its premiere at South Coast Repertory in 2011.

Ann Hearn Tobolowsky directs. Recent directing credits include Good People, As Good As Gold and Bus Stop at Theatre 40, and three world premieres, The Favorite at Avery Schreiber Playhouse, Forever Bound at Atwater Theatre and at The Road Theatre, Through the Eye of a Needle. Two projects were in the works when the pandemic hit, and are now delayed to an unspecified future date, one for Theatre 40 (Incident at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, recently a reading at Greystone Manor) and Scintilla for The Road Theatre Company.

Ann's cast for Silent Sky includes Marie Broderick, Dalen Carson, Tammy Mora, Abigail Stewart and Amy Tolsky. The understudies are Marilia Angeline and Sarilee Kahn.

Set design is by Jeff G. Rack, costume design is by Michèle Young, lighting design is courtesy of Derrick McDaniel, sound design was handled by Nick Foran.

PLEASE NOTE: Covid-19 safety protocols in effect on performance dates will be observed. As of the writing, audience members must be masked and vaccinated. Vax card or digital record will be checked.