The Lightest Element

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
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Nick Hern Books
Published: 08/26/2025
Pages: 80
Weight: 0.75lbs
Size: 7.56h x 4.88w x 0.32d
ISBN: 9781839043758