McKendree University Students to Perform "Silent Sky" March 30-April 2
(LEBANON, Ill., March 15, 2023) – McKendree University’s students will be performing
Silent Sky, the true story of 19th-century astronomer Henrietta Leavitt. The curtain will rise for four performances
from March 30-April 2 at the Hettenhausen Center for the Arts on campus. The Thursday
performance, which will begin at 10 a.m., is part of the University’s Arts Education series and is suitable for all ages. The Friday and Saturday performances will begin at
7:30 p.m. Sunday’s matinee starts at 2:30 p.m.
Admission is free for McKendree students, faculty and staff. General admission tickets
are priced at $5, and reservations are recommended. Please contact the Hett box office
at (618) 537-6863 to reserve seats or purchase them online.
Cast members include: Felicity Crowell of Freeburg, Ill., as Williamina Fleming; Sean
Harper of Metamora, Ill., as Peter Shaw; Jade Heuer of Granite City, Ill., playing
the dual role of Annie Jump Cannon; Madison Rohn of O’Fallon, Ill., as Henrietta Leavitt;
Jayden Touchette of Millstadt, Ill., as Margaret Leavitt; and Madeline Trinity of
Millstadt, Ill., playing the dual role of Annie Jump Cannon. With Mia Wylie of Maryville,
Ill., serving as stage manager, the rest of the crew members include: Alex Brandenburger
of Belleville, Ill. (lighting design/board); Julian Castillo of Lincoln, Ill.; Gabi
Cuba of Collinsville, Ill.; Caleb Marriott of Mascoutah, Ill. (sound); and Cheyenne
Pride of Flora, Ill.
Written by Lauren Gunderson, Silent Sky takes place in the early 1900s when astronomer Henrietta Leavitt worked at the Harvard
Observatory. She isn’t allowed to touch a telescope or express an original idea. Instead,
she joins a group of women “computers,” charting the stars for a renowned astronomer
who calculates projects in “girl hours” and has no time for the women’s probing theories.
As Henrietta, in her free time, attempts to measure the light and distance of stars,
she must also take measure of her life on Earth, trying to balance her dedication
to science with family obligations and the possibility of love. This true story explores
a woman’s place in society during a time of immense scientific discoveries, when women’s
ideas were dismissed until men claimed credit for them. Social progress, like scientific
progress, can be hard to see when one is trapped among earthly complications. Henrietta
and her female peers believe in both, and their dedication changed the way we understand
both the heavens and Earth.
The Hett opens for general admission seating 30 minutes prior to each performance.
For more information, please contact Michelle Magnussen at (618) 537-6586. To purchase
tickets, please visit www.thehett.com.
