A small but powerful cast and crew illuminated the contributions of an unknown astronomer, Harriet Levitt, to our understanding of the cosmos even today through their production of Silent Sky, a play by Lauren Gunderson.
With a brilliant starfield twinkling as the backdrop of several scenes, the actors guided the audience through an exploration of a variety of sensitive topics: the difficulty of recognizing women’s contributions to science, the pull many women feel between career and family, and the importance of tending to interpersonal relationship building even while exploring your dreams.
Abby Gray ’24 animated the lead character, Henrietta Levitt, through an emotive display of passion for her work, the struggle to find a place of relevance in a male-dominated field, and her relationships with other women, including her fellow “computers” and her sister. Laurion Nicholson ’26 found a balance in her portrayal of Margaret Levitt, Henrietta’s sister, by showing both love and care for her sibling even while growing increasingly frustrated by her absence. In the end, the sisters reconcile, learning more about each other and the role of their support.
Henrietta’s fellow “computers,” Annie Cannon (played by Katherine Rose Ellenhorn ’26) and Williamina Fleming (played by Natalie Benoist ’25) were perfect complements, pushing the story forward in a variety of subtle and ingenious ways. The audience adored Benoist’s Scottish accent and delivery of pithy lines, and enjoyed watching Ellenhorn transform her character from a standoffish matron to a staunch supporter of her colleagues and indeed all women through her work as a suffragette. Finally, Grant Nicholson ’24, the only male cast member, delivered an outstanding performance as Peter Shaw, a higher-ranking colleague of the computers and eventual love interest of Levitt. Nicholson’s ability to crack his voice at just the perfect moment and portray a variety of emotions from awkwardness to burgeoning love to frustration to acceptance and support, rounded out the cast of this outstanding production.
“This has been one of my favorite shows to work on, especially since we had such a great time and a great cast,” said Benoist. “This show was a fast one, we had a little more than a month to get the show up which is a lot faster than normal. With that being said, the way we worked as a cast and the direction of Ms. Hood, we all really got to grow as people and as actors. As Ms. Hood has said, we knew we did something right when she started crying. The story, for me, was truly moving because of the clear connection you can see between all of the characters, and the story of Henrietta is just beautiful and tragic. All of the work she put into furthering the knowledge of the astronomy world is amazing.”
The scenes were grounded in a set of elegance, simplicity, and depth. Each prop, whether large or small, contributed to the production without distracting from the performance. The lighting was exquisite, from brightly lit spots to moody, fog-filled scenes. Greysen Brown ’24 designed a “Star Drop” that perfectly portrayed the night sky, with small lights twinkling to evoke the vast cosmos that has drawn human attention for thousands of years. Ellie Chen ’26 and Max Charnond ’25 were tucked into the back of the set, providing a foundation of beautiful music throughout the production.
“I created the Star Drop using fiber optics over an 18-20 hour process,” explained Brown. “The entire project, I stood on a genie lift pretty high into the air, almost to the ceiling of Orthwein. It was all made from scratch; I had no reference for it. Silent Sky was an amazing experience, and it is now the centerpiece of my college technical theater portfolio. I have already gotten offers from my stars alone. I’m glad I was able to showcase the skills I have learned and will be taking to college.”
Congratulations to the cast and crew of Silent Sky. Bravo and brava for an incredible performance and portrayal of a story that more people should know!
Please enjoy this beautiful gallery of images of the production of Silent Sky, taken by Virginia Portell ’24:
Production Staff
Stage Manager: Grace Powell ’26*
Asst Stage Manager: Gigi Koster ’26*
Lighting Designer: Greysen Brown ’24*
Prop Master: Virginia Portell ’24*
Technical Director: Sahar Bhutto ’24*
Light Board Operator: Dalton Costick ’26*
Sound Board Operator: Ace Derdeyn ’25*
Master Electrician: Charlie Mills ’26*
Charge Artist: Ana Estes ’24
Wardrobe: Samantha Sullivan ’25*
Set/Paint/Electrics Crew:
- Greysen Brown ’24*
- Max Charnond ’25
- Lola Compton ’27
- Dalton Costick ’26*
- Meg David ’25
- Catherine Dawson ’26*
- Ace Derdeyn ’25*
- KR Ellenhorn ’26*
- Jaila Haywood ’25
- Jack Jerlecki ’24
- Gigi Koster ’26*
- Victoria Neill ’25
- Laurion Nicholson ’26*
- Virginia Portell ’24*
- Evie Strope ’25
- Samantha Sullivan ’25*
* Member of the International Thespian Society
Special thanks to
Robert Hood; the Faculty and Staff of MICDS; MICDS Arts Backers; the Hamidovic Family; MICDS Physical Plant Department; Union Avenue Opera.
The cast would like to give a very special shout-out to our Faculty Dramaturg, Mr. Philip Rosen, for providing us with enlightening information and a detailed history on Pickering’s Harem, Cepheids, Spanking, and The Universe. We will, from now on, always measure you in light.
Our Theater Patrons
- Laura and Peter Benoist
- Molly and Peter Gray
- Kathy and Bryan Nicholson
- Anne Rasponi