One of America's most produced playwrights of recent years, Lauren Gunderson is known for writing plays about women in history and/or science that are modern, feminist, funny, and moving.
Silent Sky is one of her most popular - it's now receiving it's
third #TCTheater production (I love it, but I'd also love to see
The Half-Life of Marie Curie, or
Emilie: La Marquise du Châtelet Defends Her Life Tonight, or
any and all of her other plays).
Silent Sky features little known astronomer Henrietta Leavitt, who figured out a way to measure the universe, laying the foundation for more well-known (male) scientists like
Edwin Hubble. In Gunderson's hands, Henrietta is a very real and relatable woman, who wants to do work that matters, and maybe also have a little fun along the way. With a strong five-person cast and elegantly simple design,
Theatre in the Round's Silent Sky is entertaining and inspirational. Who knew science could be so dramatic and emotional?! (Lauren Gunderson, that's who.)
