"Silent Sky" Explores Intersection of Faith and Science

As the days get longer and nights warmer, Cedarville University students, faculty and staff will be invited to watch the spring theatre production of “Silent Sky.” 

“Silent Sky,” written by Lauren Gunderson, will open Thursday, April 8, and close Sunday, April 18. Tickets can be purchased at the Stevens Student Center ticket office from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

In keeping with the University’s “Caring Well. Staying Well.” guidelines, attendance will be capped at 130 for each performance, with social distancing and masks required.

“Silent Sky” is a comedic drama based on the true story of Henrietta Leavitt, an astronomer in the 1900s, a time when women did not normally hold these types of roles.

Henrietta lands a job at the Harvard Observatory, thinking she was hired to be an astronomer, but is actually part of a group of female “computers” who chart the stars for the male astronomers.

Henrietta continues to make her mark within the astronomical society, but she ends up having to choose between her dedication to science, her family, or the possibility of love. Other roles in the show include her sister, Margaret, and two women working in the observatory with her: Williamina and Annie. The play’s only male character, Peter, is Henrietta’s potential love interest.

“We see science versus faith shown throughout this production, and we find out that they aren’t at odds,” said Stacey Stratton, assistant professor of theatre. “Science really cannot exist without faith, and this is something that Henrietta discovers over the course of the play.”

Henrietta will be played by Ava Ramsey, of Peoria, Illinois; Peter by Caleb Stechschulte of Delaware, Ohio; Margaret by Haven Sidell of Billerica, Massachusetts; Williamina by Sara Warnshuis of Erie, Pennsylvania; and Annie by Courtney Collinsworth of Bellbrook, Ohio. Rachel Richardson of Springfield, Ohio, will take the understudy role for Annie and Hannah Bradley of Pittsboro, Indiana, for Margaret.

“This production is funny and poignant in places, and it has a message that believers have been proclaiming for years: God is the author of science and when you see his creation through the lens of knowing who He is, it is beautiful,” said Stratton.

Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 4,550 undergraduate, graduate, and online students in more than 150 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is one of the largest private universities in Ohio, recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, including the Bachelor of Arts in Theatre program, strong graduation, and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings, and high student engagement ranking. For more information about the University, visit cedarville.edu.