Theatre West presents ‘Silent Sky’ in Lincoln City
By K. Athena Suckow and T. Sean Prescott
Photos by K. Athena Suckow
For the TODAY
America, in 1902, was still 12 years away from World War I. The average life expectancy was 47 years old, only 14 percent of households had a bathtub and women would wait nearly another two decades before being granted the right to vote. It was also the year that Henrietta Swan Leavitt accepted a staff position at the Harvard College Observatory as a “computer” whose job it was to catalog the brightness of all measurable stars. She had worked for several years as an unpaid volunteer but this appointment represented a paid position and perhaps more significantly, a measure of respect from Edward Pickering, the director of the observatory. At the time, women were considered more frail and less capable than their male colleagues and yet, Leavitt worked alongside women whose pioneering work still shapes our understanding of astronomy today. Among them were Willamina Fleming, who helped create a technique for the classification of stellar spectra and Annie Jump Cannon, who modified that system to ultimately classify stars according to their temperature. Leavitt’s own work allowed us to measure the distance to a star significantly further away than we had previously been able to imagine.
These three women are the central characters in Lauren Gunderson’s “Silent Sky,” playing now at Lincoln City’s Theatre West through Saturday, Nov. 14.
This first show of the 2026-2027 season is directed by Debby Rhein and showcases a mix of new and returning actors. Naomi Fast has played several supporting characters throughout the past few years and now takes on the main role of Leavitt. Fast brings a love for theater to her performance. The role of the more traditional sister Margaret Leavitt is played by Appolonia Lane. A newcomer to the Theatre West stage but not to acting, Lane has been honing her craft since her teenage years. Taylor Parker is becoming a staple at the theater and flourishes in the role of Cannon. In preparing for the role, she enjoyed learning about the history and stories of the actual women.
Rounding out the cast are real life family members Chris Vono as the joyful but formidable Scottish maid turned astronomer Willamina, and Mike Vono as Peter Shaw, the somewhat awkward assistant to the never-seen but often-mentioned Pickering. Rhein, when asked about her experience directing this play, expressed gratitude for her cast and all the people who come together to create a production.
“It takes a village,” she said. “I love that everybody creates the beating heart that is Theatre West.”
Gunderson is a two-time winner of the Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award and “Silent Sky” won a William Inge Theatre Festival honor for Distinguished Achievement in the American Theatre in 2024. In 2013, it was a finalist for the Jane Chambers Award, which recognizes plays that present a feminist prospective and significant roles for female-identified performers. The play takes place more than a century ago but speaks to inequities we still battle today. While it illustrates a great many ways that things have changed, it offers an opportunity to question how far we have yet to go.
Dan Pack serves as assistant director, light and sound producer, set designer and all-around go-to guy.
“This show is a good example of all the contributions women have quietly made throughout history,” he said. “Theater, like astronomy, has been an industry dominated by men. Only recently have we recognized women for their contributions and it’s about damn time.”
Telling these stories not only fleshes out characters and moments that have existed in shadow, it serves as an example for young people that great accomplishments are not confined by someone else’s limited expectations of your capabilities. May the story of Leavitt and friends inspire us to “reach for the stars.”
“Silent Sky” takes to the stage at 7:30 pm every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday until November 14, with 2 pm matinées on Sunday, Nov. 1 and 8 at Theatre West, Located at 3536 SE Hwy. 101. Tickets are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors, students and military and $15 for kids aged 17 and younger. For tickets and more information, go to theatrewest.com or call 541-994-5663.