A deep dive into the powerful message and unique structure of Silent Sky
By Fabiana Vivolo
The students at TC have found a safe space on the stage for self-expression. However, there is nothing safe about the Silent Sky production itself. The 2-hour long performance tells the brave story of a real-life woman by the name of Henrietta Leavitt who broke through barriers to make her dream come true. She was an individual who knew what she wanted and she was determined to not let anything get in her way, including the inequality and limitations present on women in the early 1900’s. Overall, Silent Sky is told in the hope of encouraging people and the TC student body to dream because nothing is ever truly impossible.
The individual who had the opportunity to play such a woman was Senior Isabella Dabolish. This was Dabolish’s first play out of the many musicals she has partaken in throughout her academic journey. As well, as the first straight 2-hour play the school has done in a couple of years. She explained that this comeback couldn’t have been executed any better than with Silent Sky, as it holds what to her are very important elements in any story. The production required a small cast of about 5 actors, four of them being female leads and the last one being a supporting male. This ratio of more female characters than male characters was a road not taken by the theater program often. It set the foundation for female voices to be heard.
Furthermore, when diving in deep to Dabolish’s personal journey with the production, it is important to note that she emphasized the connection the cast formed throughout the hours and weeks spent together. She detailed a memory for emphasis, “right before our final show we all sat down in the choir room and just talked about the process that got us there, and I felt like this was the first cast where I truly connected with everyone.” In fact, these intimate bonds that flourished behind the scenes helped fuel the intimate story being told on stage. To Dabolish, the play, while beautiful, was also challenging. It required her to memorize countless lines, something she hadn’t done to that degree yet. Also, the idea of playing real-life people proved intimidating as thoughts of not measuring up to who the person was or make proud of what they accomplished could enter the brain. However, she explained that this didn’t take away from the fact that Silent Sky took her out of performing the way she usually did, as in out of the fun, happy all the time trend found in musicals and into the real emotional field found in plays.
Moreover, another of the powerful characters Silent Sky told the story of was Margaret Leavitt. She had a different type of dream than her sister Henrietta, one that didn’t require her to become a famous astronomer but a mother. The female swing for the Matinee show was Senior Sasha Khan. She explained that Silent Sky has been her favorite TC production because of the small, intimate cast and the powerful story of the talent women possess. This experience has not only allowed her to get closer to some of her fellow theater peers but it has given her the opportunity to play a role she hasn’t done before. When asked in detail what made playing her character so special, Khan responded “there is no doubt that my character is a hard worker but being able to see her struggles and how she overcomes them throughout the play, and just more than what is on the surface level is what makes her so human to the audience, and I enjoyed bringing that vulnerability to life.” It should be noted that throughout the show her character is seen fighting to keep her family together, a different type of fight her sister was going through, but a fight nonetheless.
Overall, Silent Sky is history with heart. It tells the powerful story of a woman whose dedication to the stars changed everything. She changed the world, broke through barriers, and taught mankind a lesson: Women are just as capable, if not more than men.
