REACHING FOR THE STARS

THE STORY OF A COTSWOLDS PIONEER

David Elder of Parrot Productions describes a new online play. ‘I had left my home on the previous day and had passed the night at Cheltenham to enable me to take the 9.20am train …’ is one of the opening lines from In Pursuit of a Shadow: By a Lady Astronomer. The astronomer in question was Cirencester-born Elizabeth Brown (1830-99), and the journey she was embarking upon would take her to northern Russia in an attempt to view the solar eclipse on 19 August 1887.

Her story is unusual by any standards. After caring for her father through a lengthy old age, she finally found the freedom in her fifty-second year to pursue her passion for astronomy. She became the first woman to join the Liverpool Astronomical Society and, in 1890, helped to establish the British Astronomical Association, being appointed director of the Solar Section in both societies. Three years later, she was elected as one of the first women fellows of the Royal Meteorological Society. Earlier, she had been proposed as a member of the Royal Astronomical Society, along with two other women, but they did not receive the required votes from the male membership. She was also one of the first women to own an astronomical observatory and the first to undertake a solar eclipse expedition on her own account and contribute to a scientific eclipse team.

These facts, together with details about her close relationship with her father, Thomas Brown, who greatly encouraged her passion for astronomy, became the inspiration for Parrot Productions to produce a film version of a play about her life. Entitled

Marianne Gaston appears in ‘The Making of Miss Brown’

‘The Making of Miss Brown’ it was written by David Elder, directed by Rhona Smith, and starred Marianne Gaston as Elizabeth Brown. Voice-overs representing various astronomical societies were also provided by Anthony Young. It was premiered at this year’s Stroud Theatre Festival. While creating a film version of the play was a necessity under Covid restrictions, it brought with it many advantages, including the possibility of incorporating video footage of a live solar eclipse and stills images of planets and other observations made by Miss Brown.

Feedback received from the online audience included the following: “A very moving story of the struggles of a brilliant woman in a man's society”; “The storyline, acting performance, set, costume and

visuals were all excellent”; and from Mike Frost, Director of the British Astronomical Association’s Historical Section: “It's a laudable attempt to tell the story of a distinguished observer and a remarkable woman. And it should bring her story to non-astronomers.” Parrot Productions would like to acknowledge its grateful thanks to the Cheltenham Arts Council who helped to promote the play. It remains available to watch online for a small fee. See https://stfonline.co.uk/

Update on Parrot Productions play ‘Bletchley Girls’

The radio play ‘Bletchley Girls’ goes from strength to strength. Described by the Deputy Chair of the Gloucester History Festival as a festival highlight, it has been listened to by over 2500 people so far. The Jenny Wren website https://www. jennywrenproductions.co.uk has links to the play or it can be found on Spotify under Radio Plays Bletchley Girls.