COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — April 18, 2025 – Theatreworks Colorado Springs is proud to present Silent Sky, a captivating play by Lauren Gunderson, running from May 1 to May 25, 2025, at the Ent Center for the Arts. Directed by Joye Cook-Levy, this production brings to life the inspiring true story of Henrietta Leavitt, a pioneering astronomer whose work at the Harvard Observatory in the early 20th century fundamentally changed our understanding of the cosmos. 

Set in the early 1900s, Silent Sky illuminates the extraordinary but often overlooked legacy of Henrietta Leavitt—a woman whose mind reached the stars long before women had the right to vote. At the Harvard Observatory, she joined a group of women known as “computers,” tasked with calculating celestial data while being denied access to the telescope itself. Amidst a sea of star charts and data logs, Leavitt uncovered a pattern in the blinking of Cepheid variable stars—a breakthrough that would eventually allow astronomers to measure the true scale of the universe. 

But Silent Sky is more than a story of scientific discovery; it’s a moving portrait of a woman who balanced duty to family with the hunger for knowledge, camaraderie with her brilliant female colleagues with the constraints of working under male supervisors, and the quiet persistence of her intellect with the louder world that so often ignored it. Lauren Gunderson’s script brings warmth, wit, and gravity to a hidden history, celebrating not just Leavitt’s mind, but her heart and spirit—and the generations of women in science who followed her path across the stars. 

“With Silent Sky, I want audiences to feel both the wonder of the cosmos and the quiet power of a woman determined to claim her place in history. Henrietta Leavitt’s story is one of awe, persistence, and beauty—and through this production, we invite audiences to look up, to dream bigger, and to remember the many voices throughout history that refused to be silenced,” said director Joye Cook-Levy. 

The production stars Kyla Diane Kennedy as trailblazing astronomer Henrietta Leavitt, with Erika Mori as her devoted sister Margaret and Marcin Mesa as the charming yet conflicted Peter Shaw. Returning to the Theatreworks stage are Prentiss Benjamin and Leslie O’Carroll—beloved by audiences from The Half-Life of Marie Curie—as Annie Cannon and Williamina Fleming, Leavitt’s brilliant colleagues at the Harvard Observatory. 

Performances are scheduled Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 4:00 p.m. 

A variety of special conversations will accompany performances throughout the run, including pre-show and post-show events—full details can be found at entarts.org. 

Tickets range from $20 to $44.50, with discounts available for UCCS faculty, staff, military personnel, educators, and youth. UCCS students can attend for free by reserving seats through the box office. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit entarts.org.

View promotional photos by Isaiah Downing.

Media Contact:

Elyce Gronseth
Assistant Director of Marketing & Communications
Ent Center for the Arts at UCCS
egronset@uccs.edu

About Theatreworks Colorado Springs: Founded in 1975, Theatreworks is dedicated to connecting, empowering, and delighting the community through the transformative power of live performance. Theatreworks has grown as a vibrant and inclusive space for artists and audiences alike. Visit entarts.org/theatre

About the Ent Center for the Arts: Located on the UCCS campus, the Ent Center for the Arts is a first-class facility fostering creativity and collaboration. It serves as a central space for the arts, bringing together diverse ideas and people. Visit entarts.org