![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
Student performers and directors are spending the week putting the final touches on the 2013 Student Directed Showcase (SDS) plays, which are held tomorrow and Saturday.
This year’s directors are seniors Cecilia Lang-Ree, directing The Shadow Box; Cristina Jerney, directing The Madwoman of Chaillot; Hannah Prutton, directing DNA; and Lori Berenberg, directing The Choice is Yours.
After the directors held auditions in September, a final dress rehearsal on January 3 culminated weeks of preparation for the performances.
Over the course of her directing experience, Cecilia has recognized many differences between directing a play and playing the role of an actor.
“There are a lot more things you have to be responsible for,” she said. “As a director, we’ve had to learn about budget, we’ve had to do costume design, we’ve had to do lighting design, and do the literary analysis of the play.”
She believes that her group of actors as well as the performers in the other three shows are prepared for the upcoming performances since they are all in the last step of the entire process.
Sophomore Vivian Isenberg, who is in the cast of DNA, will perform the role of a main character for the first time; she has garnered new skills throughout the process.
“Since this is my first year with a major speaking role, my favorite part was learning how to interact with other actors,” Vivian said.
Given the opportunity to perform last year, Matt Bloch (10), who was in the the play directed by Sebastian Herscher (‘12), understands what it takes to be in the position of an actor and will attend this year’s shows to watch his friends.
“By the fun of it, I have no idea [what each of the shows is about], so I’m in for a surprise,” Matt said.
Similarly, Shivali Minocha (9) plans on attending the show to support her peers and the rest of the performers and directors.
“I think it’ll be cool to see all of my friends performing in it [since] it was directed by students,” she said.
Junior Shreyas Parthasarathy, as well, is interested to watch what the students have put together over the past weeks.
“The plays sound really interesting and my friends in SDS say it’s really good,” he said. “Especially if you know the people performing, it’s cool to see what they can do on stage because they’re usually really good.”
Tickets for both shows are being sold during lunches and are still available for purchase.
