First Folio Theatre presents wonderful "Silent Skies"

First Folio builds upon its well-earned reputation for interesting, well-acted, thoughtful plays with Silent Sky, the story of an incredibly important and nearly forgotten astronomer who make ground-breaking discoveries as a "computer" at Harvard.

Henrietta Swan Leavitt worked at Harvard's observatory in 1900s as a human computer who discovered the relation between the luminosity and the period of Cepheid variable stars. Per Wikipedia, "A graduate of Radcliffe College, Leavitt started working at the Harvard College Observatory as a "computer" in 1893, examining photographic plates in order to measure and catalog the brightness of the stars. Though she received little recognition in her lifetime, it was her discovery that first allowed astronomers to measure the distance between the Earth and faraway galaxies."

This delightful story takes Leavitt from her family church in Wisconsin to Harvard's astronomy program. It's filled with human relationship stories and scientific breakthroughs. It showcases a time when a woman's place in society was changing rapidly through voting rights and increased workplace opportunities. As an early 20th century pioneer, Leavitt created the foundation for future astronomers like Edwin Hubble who often said that Leavitt deserved the Nobel Prize for her work.

Silent Sky runs through April 30 at the Mayslake Peabody Estate, located at 31st and Rt. 83 in Oak Brook. There is plenty of free parking. Ticket prices range from $29 to $39. Silent Sky is on stage Wednesday through Sundays. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit (630) 986-8067 or www.firstfolio.org.