Silent Sky
A play by Lauren Gunderson
Directed by Joellen Sweeney
Thurs, Mar 6 – Sun, Mar 9, 2025 | 7:30-9:30PM* | Kendall Planetarium
Tickets: $39 Adults, $35 Seniors, $25 Youth/Student | OMSI members receive 15% off
*Doors open approximately 30 minutes prior to the show. The show is two hours with one intermission.
Join us as we celebrate the life and legacy of the pioneering astronomer Henrietta Swan Leavitt with this intimate and magical play performed inside the Kendall Planetarium. The performance includes stunning celestial visuals designed by OMSI Planetarium director, Jim Todd, and music by Jenny Giering performed live by pianist Jesse Preis.
A decade before women gained the right to vote, Henrietta Leavitt and her fellow women “computers” transformed the science of astronomy. In the Harvard Observatory, Leavitt found 2,400 new variable stars and made important discoveries about their fluctuating brightness, enabling fellow scientists to map the Milky Way and beyond. This inspiring drama explores the determination, passion and sacrifice of the women who redefined our understanding of the cosmos.
PRODUCING PARTNERS:
Mt Hood Repertory Theatre (presenting producer)
MHRT has existed for 26 years. Founded by Tobias Andersen, it produced annual plays each summer at MHCC. It now produces three shows each year on the East Side at the Wyrd Hut.
Readers Theatre Gresham (supporting producer)
Readers Theatre Gresham presents monthly readings of plays, prose, and poetry. The focus is on the spoken word and Pulitzer Prize-winning plays.
Bedrock Theatre (supporting producer)
Bedrock Theatre’s mission is to connect audiences to their environment and to each other through immersive storytelling.
Questions? Email events@omsi.edu
Ticketing questions call 503.797.4000 x0
Frequently Asked Questions
No, food and drink are not allowed in the Planetarium.
OMSI is located at 1945 SE Water Ave Portland, OR 97214. Visitors can pay for parking through the Parking Kitty app (as of 7/24/23), at the front desk, or soon at parking kiosks in the North and South parking lots.
OMSI parking costs $5 (+ fees) for 2 hours or $8 (+ fees) for all day parking. Guests arriving after 5pm can expect to pay a flat fee of $2 (+ fees) for the evening.
The Kendall Planetarium has many amenities available, including:
Wheelchair accessible entrance
Scripts for presentations are available on request
Nearby ADA accessible restrooms
Please check in with an OMSI staff member for assistance in accessing these amenities.
OMSI’s Harry C. Kendall Planetarium, a 200-seat, 52-foot domed theater, is one of the most technologically advanced planetariums in the Pacific Northwest. The planetarium sports the new generation of Sky-Skan’s DigitalSky simulation and control system, DigitalSky Dark Matter. DigitalSky Dark Matter uses the JVC Reference Series offering an ultra-deep 160,000:1 native contrast ratio and 2,000 lumens per projector. A server of computers with the latest in NVidia graphics, 8GB RAM, 2TB memory, solid state drives, and 3.7GHZ Quad-Core processing per PC powers the Definiti system, including full-dome projection, sound system integration, and master control.
The laser show installation at OMSI uses six Rainbow FX laser projectors from the new Laser Fantasy Rainbow FX laser system. The laser system outputs about 15 watts of laser light compared to less than three watts from the previous system and uses a fraction of the electricity eliminating the need for three-phase power and water cooling.