Silent Sky by Lauren Gunderson

Photos by Sue Kessler

Silent Sky, directed by Dennis Schebetta in the Skidmore College Black Box Theater. Silent Sky follows the life of real life astronomer Henrietta Leavitt as she starts her career at the Harvard Observatory in the early 1900’s, and discovers a way to measure the universe. A tale of sisterhood and choice, Henrietta tells her story through the the stars she finds and her sisters musical gift. While the world around her changes, Henrietta stays as constant as the twinkling of the stars above and the music that connects the pieces.

Lighting
Libby Hinshaw

Props
Noah Greenfield

Scenic
Isaac DeMarchi

Costumes
Patty Pawliczak

Setting the tone.

Silent Sky is full of music, so it was pivotal to set the musical, emotional, and temporal tone as soon as the audience walked into the space. The play starts outside the Leavitt home, with Margaret playing piano inside. As you will hear, the sounds of nature are present alongside the hymn being played inside. Tracks have been condensed for truer sound quality on digital playback.

The Symphony.

Silent Sky is full of music. Just as important to the story as the stars above is the symphony that Henriettas sister, Margaret, composes. This symphony is what helps Henrietta realize that there is a pattern to the blinking of the stars, and further the ability to measure the variables and thus the universe.

The symphony needed to be unique and capture the emotional arch of the story. It quickly became apparent no existing music would be quite right, so alongside composer Henry Tate, a unique song was created.

Another challenge with the symphony was the flexibility called for in the script. It would be a combination of live playback, which was accomplished by micing the upright piano on stage, playback, and moments of hybrid. The first clip is the recorded symphony with just piano, as heard at the end of act one, as Henrietta puts all the pieces together. The second clip is the symphony with expanded instrumentation, adding a cello and violin, as it plays over the radio at the end of the play.