The Lightest Element Tickets
Stella Feehilly’s gripping new drama, The Lightest Element, is playing at The Hampstead Theatre for a limited run. The show explores the challenges of confronting social norms, which can be as difficult as overturning scientific orthodoxy. Book your tickets now for this captivating new play about challenging social expectations and the domino effect it can have on the progress of scientific discovery. Book your official tickets today!
About The Lightest Element
“Nothing compares with being the first person in the history of the world to see something, but timing is everything. The world has to be ready for you”.
The captivating play is set in Boston in 1956. Celia Payne-Gaposchkin, one of the most eminent astronomers of the twentieth century, is about to make history by being appointed the first woman to head a Harvard department. However, she is faced with two challenges: a covert investigation aimed at exposing her as a communist sympathizer and the entrenched conservatism of her male colleagues. When a student asks to do a profile on her, Celia sees an opportunity to take control of her own narrative. However, she wonders if this invitation is exactly as it seems.
Facts and Critical Acclaim
- Playwright, Stella Feehilly was co-winner of the Susan Smith Blackburn Award 2007 for O Go My Man.
- Director, Alice Hamilton won the Olwen Wymark Award, presented by the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain to recognise people who have supported and encouraged new play writing.
- Celia Payne-Gaposchkin received the first Ph.D. in astronomy from Radcliffe College for her thesis, since Harvard did not grant doctoral degrees to women.
The Lightest Element Creatives
Writer - Stella Feehilly
Director - Alice Hamilton
The Lightest Element Cast
Casting to be announced.