![“[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)
Fall Play preview
Seniors Madi Lang-Ree and Jai Ahuja run-through their scene together in the quad
Rehearsals for the Fall Play, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” are underway in preparation for the Oct. 31, Nov. 1, and Nov. 2 performances.
After conservatory students chose the comedy through several rounds of voting last spring, the cast began rehearsing in mid-September.
The two-hour play will be performed “in the round,” with the audience surrounding the stage, due to the unconventional layout of the Blackford Theatre.
“It’s a very interesting feature. ‘Anonymous’ [last year’s fall play] was less in the round than this,” Rishabh Chandra (11) said. “It’s often very difficult to think of things as stage left and stage right – it doesn’t mean anything when you’re in the round. You have to create your blocking in a way that you can move around a lot.”
Technical concerns regarding sound also resulted due to the nature of the stage.
“There are not only people around you, but way over in the distance and you have to be able to take it up a notch. You have to be really loud so everyone in the room can hear you,” Nikhil Manglik (10) said.
Cast member Elizabeth Edwards commented on the progress made since the beginning of rehearsal in mid-September.
“As we’re rehearsing, it’s been great to see all my cast members coming together and working hard,” she said. “For example, as we work with the fairy group, we’re really learning our dances and our songs and it’s really exciting to see it all come together.”
A prominent feature of the play, one of Shakespeare’s most performed plays for the stage, is its humor.
“I think ‘Anonymous’ and ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ are very different. This is kind of a twist, it’s a classical comedy,” Janet Lee (11) said. “The humor here that Shakespeare has written gives us a lot of opportunities to grow.”
Director Jeffrey Draper encourages audiences to come see the show.
“It’s silly, it’s full of love and humor and clowning and slapstick humor,” he said. “I think there are so many kinds of laughs — it’s great.”
Tickets sales will be announced soon by the cast at school meeting and will go on sale around Oct. 20.
This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on October 17, 2014.
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