Silent Sky

In the early 1900s, a group of women employed at the Harvard College Observatory worked as human “computers.” Though they weren’t allowed to even touch the observatory's telescope, these women, including Henrietta Swan Leavitt, the protagonist of the play Silent Sky, were tasked with crunching huge amounts of astronomical data gathered by their male counterparts. Like the women of color mathematicians at NASA in the 1960s, the Harvard women were “hidden figures” of another period. Even so, their discoveries were critical to our understanding of the universe: Leavitt is credited with discovering a breakthrough in astronomical science that helped gauge distances through space. Silent Sky is the last theatrical production of WSU’s Performing Arts Department, which is being shuttered this year due to budget cuts. The March 31 matinee is also free (tickets still required) and includes a post-show dessert reception with director Mary Trotter, the cast and crew.

March 30-31 and April 6-7 at 7:30 pm; also Sat at 2 pm • $8/students, seniors; $10/adults • Jones Theater at Daggy Hall, WSU Pullman • performingarts.wsu.edu