With the start of the new school year, the performing arts department has been holding numerous workshops, auditions and performances to further student participation in performing arts.

Conservatory and Certificate program

The Performing Arts department hosted its annual Conservatory Kick-off on Wednesday, inviting students to attend an information session about Harker’s performing arts events for the year.

Performing arts teacher Susan Nace will hold a workshop called “Effectively Preparing and Practicing for Performance” on Sept. 9. The workshop will cover the importance of studying a composer’s background, practice techniques and methods to portray the dramatic aspect of pieces.

Fall play

This year’s fall play, “Around the World in 80 Days,” recounts the adventures of the fictional Phileas Fogg, who accepts a bet to circumnavigate the globe in less than 80 days.

“Last year’s play was all about subtle realism and emotional truth,” performing arts teacher Jeffrey Draper said. “This year is all about teaching comic skills and facial expressions.”
Students can audition in Draper’s room on Monday and Tuesday, with callbacks scheduled for Wednesday.

Dance

The dance department will hold auditions in September for the annual dance show in January. Rehearsals for the show start in late September and early October, shortly after the auditions.

Auditions for upper school dance teams, Varsity, Junior Varsity and Kinetic Krew, took place in April and May of the last school year.
The upper school dance groups will perform for the first time at the annual Harker picnic on Oct. 9 at the Blackford campus.

SDS

The Student-Directed Showcase (SDS) is an opportunity for seniors to choose a play, select an appropriate cast and direct both rehearsals and the show itself.

Performing arts department head Laura Lang-Ree teaches the class that student directors must take, which helps them understand the process of putting a show together.

“Some techniques include teaching them how to analyze their play, creating a vision for their productions and determining what kind of director they want to be,” Lang-Ree said.

Auditions for SDS casts will be held in October.

Vocal

The first vocal performance of the year took place at matriculation, when the upper school vocal group Cantilena welcomed both students and faculty back to school with a performance of “This Little Light of Mine,” a Christian hymn written by Harry Dixon Loes in 1920.

“This Little Light of Mine” became a central part of the 1960s civil rights movement after African-American suffrage activist Fannie Lou Hamer popularized the song with her performances at protests and rallies.

This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on August 26, 2016.