Henrietta Leavitt looks up at the silent sky at the end of her life’s journey full of accomplishments and success. But, for the AGHS Theatre Company’s 2024 production of “Silent Sky,” their journeys are just beginning as they are soon to look up at skies in Indiana where they will perform at the International Thespian Festival.

“Being recognized on an international level and getting to perform [the show] again, it’s a huge deal,” Quinlin Gallagher (‘24) said. “I’m just so thankful that all of our hard work is paying off and that it can be appreciated on a large scale.”

Gallagher plays the lead—Henrietta Leavitt—in “Silent Sky” alongside four others. One of which is her younger sister, Carly Gallagher, who ironically plays Margaret Leavitt, the sister of Henrietta.

“I just think it’s really exciting because I would not have gone to [the] International Thespian Festival without this [show],” Carly Gallagher (‘26) said.

This opportunity to perform in Indiana is a huge deal for everyone involved.

“I remember being in such awe of the performances there, and I never thought that we would be able to get up there,” Joy Avant (‘25), who plays Annie Cannon, said. “It makes me emotional almost because it’s so special to me and to the cast.”

For most, this honor has been a goal throughout their high school experience in theatre. For Dylan Long (‘24), who plays Peter Shaw, this has been a dream since childhood.

“It’s really cool to me because even when I was small, I did Destination Imagination and I always thought it would be so cool to go to some international thing because of doing [something exceptionally] good,” Long said.

And it’s true that the cast of “Silent Sky” has done exceptionally well to achieve this goal. 

“It’s kind of surreal,” Olivia McDonald (‘25), who plays Williamina Fleming, said. “We’re traveling two-thousand-something miles and performing for thousands of people in Indiana.”

This is not only exciting for the actors but for stage managers Hannah Hay (‘24) and Mia Beck (‘25) as well.

“I haven’t been to [the] International Thespian Festival before and getting to perform there is an honor,” Hay said. “It’s a great way to end my senior year.”

Having a small cast raises the stakes for the actors and stage managers because every role is important when they perform in Indiana. This unique quality of the show brought everyone together throughout the production.

“Our rehearsals only ever had around eight people in the room at a time,” McDonald said.

Everyone in the show was working in a small proximity. While memorizing many lines and keeping up with stage managing duties was a challenge, teamwork and determination helped them persevere.

“It was a really comfortable process because the cast was so small, so we really just got to work with each other really closely,” Long said.

Quinlin Gallagher agrees in regards to both the show, and her experience within theatre as a whole.

“I found a sense of community,” Quinlin Gallagher said. “I became so much closer with everyone in the cast.”

Sister like sister, Carly Gallagher describes AGHS Theater as a family because of how much time they spend together and how much they care for each other.

Working closely with everyone is both beneficial and exciting, but each individual has their own way of managing their time and how much work they put in to create an experience for their audience.

“When I’m on stage, I’m not Quinlin anymore,” Gallagher said. “I’m Henrietta Leavitt.”

For Long and Avant, deciphering their characters was not the easiest.

“He makes some really bad choices so it’s kind of hard sometimes to be so awful, but it’s a fun challenge,” Long said.

For Avant, her character was not only very different from her, but also unlike any other character she’s played in the past.

“She has so much growth throughout the play, so I had a little bit of trouble determining [her mannerisms and actions] and playing with that, but it was fun,” Avant said. “I’m definitely trying to still work on it.”

Similarly, the stage managers have many duties to contribute to an amazing production like “Silent Sky.”

“You have to be at all the rehearsals, make sure the actors are saying/doing the right thing, and during shows you’re running around like a chicken with your head cut off backstage trying to make sure everything’s in order,” Beck said.

Behind the scenes, stage managers are responsible for shift plots, contact sheets, rehearsal schedules, a prop list, weekly production meetings, checking in with the actors, going through scene changes, calling cues, and more.

“It’s constant problem solving and being prepared for any situation that could occur,” Hay said.

“Silent Sky” will be performed on the Clark Center main stage this coming April in addition to Indiana this June. This means the stage managers have to adapt the show to a different environment.

“We do have to modify some of the set and blocking to fit the bigger stage, but I think it will be a fun challenge,” Beck said.

Altering the show is a lot of work for both actors and stage managers, but it gives everyone an opportunity to improve the show.

“I do think that our future performances will surpass what we’ve done so far,” Hay said. “The strong foundation, talent, and experience of doing this show already makes me think [that] when we do it again, it’ll be even more powerful and special.”

However, to be able to go to Indiana, there are other challenges apart from the show itself.

“The biggest challenge currently is fundraising enough money to get everyone there,” Beck said. “We have five actors and five tech students who each need $2000, so that’s a lot of money.”

Luckily, the passion and dedication that the students in “Silent Sky” have will aid them as they take on every challenge thrown at them.

“[Theatre] helped me with leadership,” McDonald said. “It’s given me something I love to advocate for and promote and speak about.”

Promoting “Silent Sky” and AGHS Theater to people in the community is of utmost importance.

“People ask me for advice if they’re going into high school and I’m always like ‘just check out theatre, it’s actually really cool!’” Avant said.

AGHS is so proud of the Theatre Company’s recent accomplishments and is looking forward to the upcoming Clark Center stage performance of “Silent Sky” in April, alongside their expedition this summer to Indiana skies.