![“[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)
Looking Ahead at Performing Arts
Into the Musical: Performing artists look over the music of “Into the Woods” at the audition workshop on Aug. 27. The auditions will take place on the week of Sept. 15.
A fantastic dream, the Scottish Highlands, amazing student visions, and a wild and crazy journey are all a part of this year’s performing arts schedule. The faculty hopes into incorporate contemporary, relevant, and successful works into this upcoming year’s performing arts experience.
The Department plans on diving right into work as school opens for both the Fall Play and the Spring Musical. This year’s fall play is A Midsummer’s Night Dream, a classic Shakespearean play which combines love, betrayal, and humor. However, “this year’s production will have a cool modern twist,” said Director of Performing Arts K-12 Laura Lang-Ree in an email interview. Auditions for the fall play will be the week of Sept. 2 preceded by an audition workshop on Wednesday, Aug. 27 at 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Not only does the Fall Play have something new to offer to both the cast members and the audience, but those participating in the Spring Musical will also travel to Scotland to perform in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Fringe is one of the largest theater festivals in the world. Harker participates in the US Competition with the American High School Festival. There are over 1,500 applicants, 350 finalists, and only 35 to 40 performers one of which is the Harker School. “We’ve been selected three times (’07, ’11 and ’15) so it’s a HUGE honor,” said Lang-Ree.
This year’s musical is Into the Woods. According to Lang-Ree, “it’s intense, dark, hilarious, touching, and it requires and incredibly talented cast of actors and singers.” Auditions will be held the week of Sept. 15, instead of in January, to give the cast have more time to plan for the trip. In order to accommodate for the size restrictions of the stages in Scotland, the cast size will be reduced from 45 to 29.
As October rolls around, Student Directed Showcase (SDS) auditions will begin during the week of Oct. 6. This year’s directors are seniors Jai Ahuja, Caroline Howells, Madi Lang-Ree and Zoe Woehrmann. SDS not only allows cast members to work with their peers, but it also allows for the directors to see the creative process from a whole new angle.
“I am beyond excited for the final product of seeing my show onstage, but what I’m most looking forward to is the process – from casting to rehearsals to just bonding with my cast,” said one of the directors, Madi Lang-Ree (12).
Upper School Dance Director Karl Kuehn also has much planned for the Dance Department this year while welcoming Rachelle Haun, former dance choreographer for Lower School, Middle School and Upper School as an addition to the Upper School Performing Arts Faculty. Haun will run the junior varsity dance team which will now meet twice a week rather than once. She will also teach the choreography class for student choreographers of the annual dance production.
“It’s going to be a great year,” said Kuehn. He looks forward to seeing all his students and the work from both returning choreographers and from those enrolled in the choreography class for this year’s, in his own words,“wild and crazy” dance production. According to Kuehn, this year’s dance production, Welcome to the Jungle, “will provide a lot of creativity on the choreographer’s end and students end.” Auditions for the dance production will be on Sept. 13 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Blackford MPR.
Returning choreographer Darby Millard expressed similar excitement.
“I know what to expect and how to handle the inevitable stress that comes along with the responsibility of making your own number,” she said. “Now, I’m excited to begin creating a memorable piece for my senior year.”
“We are ready to take our students to the next level of performance,” Lang-Ree said. “The faculty has been working and performing in the arts all summer long and we are ready to take our own growing knowledge to our incredible students.”
All details about Performing Arts events will be posted on the Shed and on the Athena2 page.
This article was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on August 29, 2014. The caption above is corrected from the mistake published in the Issue 1 of the Winged Post.
Sharanya Balaji (12) is the Editor-In-Chief for Harker Aquila and has been on staff for the past three years. Additionally, during her freshman year she...