"Silent Sky" by Lauren Gunderson

Director

Kate Muchmore Woo

Audition Dates

Generals: Sun Nov 1, afternoon/evening and Tues Nov 3 evening; Callbacks: Sun Nov 8 afternoon/evening

Audition Venue

#102–11410 Kingston St, Maple Ridge, BC

Performance Dates

May 28-30, June 3-6, 10-13

Tech Week May 23-27

Production Venue

Little Dipper Theatre
15-20280 97 Ave, Langley, BC

Honorarium: $300

Rehearsals: In Walnut Grove, starting March 24, 2027

Mon, Wed 6:00-9:30pm and Sat 11:30-5:30pm

Play Description

It is 1903, and mathematician Henrietta Leavitt has one grand obsession: determining the size of our galaxy. There is only one problem: her dream may just be too big for her! Leaving her family behind to work at her dream job at the Harvard Observatory, Henrietta discovers instead she is to join a group of women called “computers” and confined to data entry behind closed doors. Not to be deterred, Henrietta pursues her big ideas in secret, but things do not always go as planned! With such an irresistible calling, will Henrietta find her place on Earth and in this vast universe? Based on a true story, and bursting with music and mathematics, Henrietta and her female peers will change the way we understand both the heavens and Earth.

This will be a production brimming with the wonder and beauty of the universe, with love, interesting and nuanced characters, and pushing against expectations of society to expand worlds. Come explore with us!

Casting

We welcome applications from all races, genders, sexual orientations and religious backgrounds. We are keen to have diversity in our casting.

Available Roles

Henrietta Leavitt – Female – 30s. Brilliant astronomer, meticulous, introspective, excited – almost always wearing a period hearing-aid. Has intense ambition to go where no (wo)man has gone before. General American dialect.

Margaret Leavitt – Female – 30s. Henrietta’s sister. Homebody, creative, wise, fierce, warm. Musical genius who chooses rural traditional family life. Sings and plays a hymn on the piano: intermediate piano playing skills required. General American dialect.

Peter Shaw – Male – 30s. The head astronomer’s apprentice and “supervisor” of Henrietta, Annie, and Williamina. Conventional early-20th century man. Condescending, cold, and anti-feminist at times, but also has bursts of passion and warmth. May have a northeastern or Atlantic US dialect, or General American.

Annie Cannon – Female – 40s. Leader of the “computers,” a group of women hired by the Harvard Observatory to map and define the stars. A brilliant astronomer in her own right, she is terse, confident, and no nonsense. Grows into a firebrand for the suffragist movement. General American dialect.

Williamina Fleming – Female – 50s. Used to be a housekeeper, now maps the stars with the smartest women in the world. Smart as a whip. Fun. Sassy. Protective. Fiery. Scottish.

Intimacy notes: 

We will be working with an intimacy coordinator, as there are scenes between Henrietta and Peter that warrant intimacy direction. 

There are also hints of a deeper companionship between Annie and Williamina throughout the play, however none that require overt displays of affection.

More information on intimacy requirements for these characters will be released upon application to audition or upon request.

Audition Requirements

Sides will be sent to you upon registration. Memorization is not required, but familiarity with all sides is encouraged.

Callbacks: We will read sides from the script. We may ask you to learn and sing a verse of the hymn “For the Beauty of the Earth”. Those with piano playing skills should prepare a 30 second piano piece of their choice.

Contact

Please send your headshot and resume to auditions@littledippertheatre.com to secure a time slot and receive your sides. 

***IMPORTANT: Please note the play you are auditioning for in your email subject!