This past Saturday, I had the opportunity to watch a play at the Oregon Contemporary Theatre.  This play was called “Silent Sky”.  It told the story of a woman named Henrietta Leavitt (left actress), taking place from the 1800-1900s.  She was a woman astronomer who figured out the relation between the luminosity and the period of Cepheid stars.  It was an incredible play and surpassed my expectations.  I really enjoyed it and am glad I attended.

During the play, as an artist, I looked at the costumes and set-up of the stage.  The costumes were well made and matched the characters’ personas.  The stage and lighting was really amazing and well thought out, even if the space was smaller than other theatres I have seen.  My class, whom I went with to see the play, also got to talk to producers and a couple of actors.  They told us how the stage was to match the starry nights and the swirl similar to a galaxy like the Milky Way.  The actors talked of how they had to wear a corset and how limiting it was during their acting.  I could not imaging wearing one while doing the whole play.

This artistic outlook on the play helps me think about how I could approach my project.  I would have to pay attention to detail no matter how small my project turns out to be so it will not seem as tiny.  Just like the theatre.  It was a small space, but so much was put into the performance, it distracted me from the size, and focused me onto the content more.  I just need to do as much as I can with the limited resources I have and with what skills I posses right now.

In a more scientific view, I think it is quite incredible how Leavitt discovered something so huge and important with what she was given and her gender position in society.  Today, scientific discovery comes a little more easily due to technological advancements and opportunities.  I feel it a little inspiring because she worked so hard and ended up with one of the biggest finds in history.  Even though, as I said, scientific discovery can come more easily and more accurate, there is still a lot of hard labor that goes behind it in order to get the results or discoveries one wants.