On behalf of Providence Players of Fairfax, Director Tina Hodge Thronson is pleased to announce the cast of Silent Sky, by Lauren Gunderson.
An inspiring and true-life story of Henrietta Leavitt, an astronomer ahead of her time. It is 1900, and Henrietta has the opportunity to work at Harvard University to help map the stars but receives no scientific credit. She is eager to use Harvard’s telescope – the Great Refractor – but is told that she will not be able to access the telescope or do astronomical research. She will only be allowed to log the stars photographed by the men of the department. However, Henrietta will not be dissuaded, and begins the process of recording the changes she identifies in Cepheid stars – a scientific discovery that has profound and lasting impact on the field of astronomy and astrophysics. Silent Sky is the poignant tale of a woman’s dedication to the stars, and the human touch that makes life under the vast sky beautiful and timeless. Tickets on sale now!
CAST
(* denotes Providence Players debut)
Henrietta Leavitt – Andra Whitt
Margaret Leavitt – Amanda Ranowsky
Peter Shaw – Chris Persil
Annie Jump Cannon – Lesleyanne Kessler*
Williamina Fleming – Roxanne Waite
About the Director
Tina Hodge Thronson has done everything for Providence Players from hanging lights, painting sets, and prompting to acting and directing. Her directing credits include And Then There Were None, Born Yesterday, Twelve Angry Men, The Man Who Came to Dinner, Steel Magnolias, and The Laramie Project. Major roles include the archetypal seductress, the archetypal wife, a wily Italian aunt, a housecoat-wearing landlady/spy, and a sympathetic barmaid. She is delighted to have the chance to direct such an inspiring story based on Henrietta – one of the most important women in the study of Astronomy.