Polk State Theatre presents ‘Silent Sky’

Winter Haven, Fla. Feb. 16, 2020. (Photo by Tom Hagerty, Polk State.)

Polk State Theatre’s production of  “Silent Sky” ran Feb. 13-16, 2020, at the Fine Arts Theatre in Winter Haven. The play explored women’s place in early 1900s society and social progress ahead of Women’s History Month.

Lauren Gunderson’s story follows the life and career of astronomer Henrietta Leavitt, known now for her discovery about variable stars that would lead to the creation of 3D mapping of the universe. But Leavitt, one of many women “computers” paid little money to catalog stars at the Harvard University Observatory, never earned recognition in her lifetime as men claimed the rights to her work.