The SUNY Oswego Theatre Department put on their biannual play last week as “Silent Sky” captivated audiences throughout five days of productions.

The play focuses on the groundbreaking work of astronomer Henrietta Leavitt, who discovered a method to calculate the distance between the Earth and other stars in the Milky Way that is now known as “Leavitt’s Law.”

The two-act performance detailed how Leavitt faced challenges of gender inequality in the early 1900s, but through meticulous work at Harvard University, discovered one of the most important astronomical principles.

Leavitt, who was played by senior Chelli Lopez, used measurements of pulsation periods of Cepheid star brightness levels to calculate their distance from the Earth. The play notes that Leavitt’s revelation was one of the first backbones to the realization that the universe is vastly bigger than previously thought and that her work contributed to findings of other astronomers even after her death.

While the play primarily focused on Leavitt’s journey through astronomy, it also showcased the struggle for women’s equality during her time. Leavitt was frequently depicted in her Harvard office alongside Annie Cannon, who was played by senior Ariana Palmer, and Williamina Fleming, who was played by freshman Kayla Rodriguez—forming the “Harvard Computers.”

The group was frequently visited by Dr. Edward Pickering’s apprentice, Peter Shaw, a fictional character played by senior Cameron Humphrey. Shaw represented a more nervous and inexperienced figure who also had an onagain offagain romantic interest with Leavitt. Outside of the work environment, the play depicted the numerous tough family decisions made by Leavitt and the challenging relationship between Leavitt and her sister, Margaret, who was played by junior Faith Wilk. As Henrietta moved from Wisconsin to Boston, Massachusetts, to pursue her career, Margaret faced increased responsibilities in her home, including starting her own family and managing the household after the death of their father.

“I think Margaret definitely felt pressure from the societal norms of the time, and the expectation for women to ‘run the house,’” Wilk said. “Because she loves and believes in her sister so strongly, she puts her passion for music on the back burner and steps up as a matriarch at home so Henrietta can pursue science, something many people deem ‘more important’ than music.”

The distance between the sisters created obstacles in their relationship, as the play featured multiple scenes where Margaret would send letters to Henrietta and receive no response.

“My character talks to her sister for a large portion of the first act through letters, and someone who hasn’t seen those scenes staged may not understand how long the sisters really went without seeing each other at all,” Wilk said. “Henri’s career took her away from home for upwards of three years without any visits, which definitely strained their relationship.”

Eventually, their relationship was mostly restored as they began to see each other again. The play concluded with Henrietta’s passing and an affirmation of how impactful her work would be for the future.

The five-member cast of this production was unusually small for Theatre Department performances, but Wilk said that the low number of cast members presented some unique opportunities.

“The small cast was an incredible blessing, in my opinion,” Wilk said. “It allowed us all to focus on our characters and their relationships to each other in a deeper way than I have ever been able to. We all got much closer as friends, as well—and that includes the directing team and our fearless leader Jonel [Langenfeld—the play’s director].”

The play ran six times from Oct. 15 to 19. The next production from the Theatre Department is the student-directed play “The Grown Ups,” which will run later this semester. The department will perform the musical “All Shook Up” in Spring 2026.