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Culture therapy
Mar. 23rd, 2025 09:36 amThe concept of "social prescribing" seems to be having a bit of a moment these days. You know, the idea of treating depression, anxiety and other mental health and mood-related problems by recommending an art gallery visit, a play, a film, a book, a walk in the woods or a contemplation of the heavens. And while I've never visited a licensed art therapist, music therapist or whatever other kinds of therapists are out there, I do tend to select experiences like the above as an integral part of my self-care.
For me, the month of March has been particularly rich in these experiences, what with a film, an art gallery visit, concerts, bookstore and library visits, book club meetings, a lunar eclipse and a play.
That play was Lauren Gunderson's Silent Sky, performed at the Gladstone Theatre by the Three Sisters Theatre Company,and described on the programme as "the almost-true story of the women who changed our view of the cosmos".
The main character is Henrietta Leavitt, an astronomer in the "girls' department" at Harvard Observatory in the early twentieth century. While originally hired as a human "computer" relegated to mapping and labelling stars and barred by reason of gender from accessing the telescope or doing serious astronomical research, she persists in pushing the limits and ultimately develops a system for measuring the stars and proving that there is more out there beyond the Milky Way. Indeed, she was up for a Nobel Prize but died before it could be awarded to her. That much we know.
But "almost true" is not the same as historical fact, and there was a certain amount of creative and dramatic licence at work too. Most of this was done through the supporting characters - the love interest, Peter Shaw; and Henrietta's sister, Margaret. It doesn't in any way minimize Henrietta's achievements, nor did it interfere with my enjoyment of the play, which I thought was really excellent. But it did pique my interest in learning a bit more about the real story. And here's one of the articles I found:
https://thehill.com/changing-america/enrichment/arts-culture/480762-she-discovered-how-to-measure-the-universe-then-her/
I loved the use of music in the play, and the highlighting of the music of real-life female composers of the 19th and 20th centuries, lost to or neglected by history: Au Crépuscule, by Mel Bonis (1858-1937; from what I read about her, she deserves a play in her own right!); Valse Tender, by Cécile Chaminade (1857-1944); and Thriller Rag, by May Aufderheide (1888-1972). I plan to seek out other music written by these three composers.
In any case, Silent Sky will be playing at the Gladstone Theatre in Ottawa until March 29. If it sounds like your thing and you live in or will be in the area, there's still time to see it!
For me, the month of March has been particularly rich in these experiences, what with a film, an art gallery visit, concerts, bookstore and library visits, book club meetings, a lunar eclipse and a play.
That play was Lauren Gunderson's Silent Sky, performed at the Gladstone Theatre by the Three Sisters Theatre Company,and described on the programme as "the almost-true story of the women who changed our view of the cosmos".
The main character is Henrietta Leavitt, an astronomer in the "girls' department" at Harvard Observatory in the early twentieth century. While originally hired as a human "computer" relegated to mapping and labelling stars and barred by reason of gender from accessing the telescope or doing serious astronomical research, she persists in pushing the limits and ultimately develops a system for measuring the stars and proving that there is more out there beyond the Milky Way. Indeed, she was up for a Nobel Prize but died before it could be awarded to her. That much we know.
But "almost true" is not the same as historical fact, and there was a certain amount of creative and dramatic licence at work too. Most of this was done through the supporting characters - the love interest, Peter Shaw; and Henrietta's sister, Margaret. It doesn't in any way minimize Henrietta's achievements, nor did it interfere with my enjoyment of the play, which I thought was really excellent. But it did pique my interest in learning a bit more about the real story. And here's one of the articles I found:
https://thehill.com/changing-america/enrichment/arts-culture/480762-she-discovered-how-to-measure-the-universe-then-her/
I loved the use of music in the play, and the highlighting of the music of real-life female composers of the 19th and 20th centuries, lost to or neglected by history: Au Crépuscule, by Mel Bonis (1858-1937; from what I read about her, she deserves a play in her own right!); Valse Tender, by Cécile Chaminade (1857-1944); and Thriller Rag, by May Aufderheide (1888-1972). I plan to seek out other music written by these three composers.
In any case, Silent Sky will be playing at the Gladstone Theatre in Ottawa until March 29. If it sounds like your thing and you live in or will be in the area, there's still time to see it!
