The Lightest Element

A stage drama about Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, one of the most eminent astronomers of the twentieth century. Premiered at Hampstead Theatre, London, in 2024. Boston, 1956. Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, one of the most eminent astronomers of the twentieth century, is about to be appointed Chair of Astronomy and the first woman to head a department at Harvard University. Only two things stand in her way: a covert investigation aimed at exposing her as a Communist sympathiser, and the entrenched conservatism of her male colleagues.

When a student journalist asks to profile her, it feels like an opportunity to control her own narrative – assuming, of course, that the invitation is actually what it seems…

Stella Feehily''s play The Lightest Element is a taut drama exploring how a challenge to social norms can be almost as difficult as overturning scientific orthodoxy. It premiered at Hampstead Theatre, London, in 2024, directed by Alice Hamilton.

• | Author: Stella Feehily
• | Publisher: Nick Hern Books
• | Publication Date: Sep 12, 2024
• | Number of Pages:
• | Language:
• | Binding: Paperback / softback
• | ISBN-13: 9781839043758
• | ISBN-10: 183904375X