{"product_id":"the-lightest-element-9781839043758","title":"The Lightest Element","description":"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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhen 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... \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eStella Feehily's play \u003ci\u003eThe Lightest Element\u003c\/i\u003e 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eStella Feehily\u003c\/b\u003e is an Irish playwright and actor. She was co-winner of the 2007 Susan Smith Blackburn Award for \u003ci\u003eO Go My Man \u003c\/i\u003e(Royal Court Theatre \u0026amp; Out of Joint, 2006). \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHer other plays include: \u003ci\u003eThis May Hurt A Bit\u003c\/i\u003e (Out of Joint \u0026amp; Octagon Theatre, 2014); \u003ci\u003eBang Bang Bang\u003c\/i\u003e (Out of Joint \u0026amp; Octagon Theatre, 2011); \u003ci\u003eDreams of Violence\u003c\/i\u003e (Soho Theatre \u0026amp; Out of Joint, 2009); and \u003ci\u003eDuck \u003c\/i\u003e(Out of Joint, 2003).\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Nick Hern Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51690540630290,"sku":"9781839043758","price":22.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_d2ebae7b-89ee-4755-a2cb-6389659425cc.jpg?v=1761738897","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-lightest-element-9781839043758","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}