![“[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 Directed Showcase directors host showcase auditions
![SDS directors Haley Keller (12), Sameep Mangat (12), Anika Banga (12) and Jessica Skinner (12) take notes during the initial round of auditions on Monday and Tuesday. "To be able to share all of that [with them] is incredible… to teach something you’re so personally passionate about is just a joy," performing arts director Laura Lang-Ree said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Screen-Shot-2017-10-13-at-7.37.29-PM.png)
SDS directors Haley Keller (12), Sameep Mangat (12), Anika Banga (12) and Jessica Skinner (12) take notes during the initial round of auditions on Monday and Tuesday. “To be able to share all of that [with them] is incredible… to teach something you’re so personally passionate about is just a joy,” performing arts director Laura Lang-Ree said.
October 13, 2017
Over 50 students of all grades and acting levels auditioned for the annual Student Directed Showcase (SDS) on Monday and Tuesday in performing arts director Laura Lang-Ree’s room.
Callbacks for the showcase were posted on Schoology at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, and they were held on Wednesday and Thursday. Each auditionee followed a rotating schedule so that all four directors could watch their callback audition. The final cast list, featuring 41 cast members, was posted on Schoology on Thursday.
This year’s directors, Anika Banga (12), Haley Keller (12), Sameep Mangat (12) and Jessica Skinner (12), are directing the shows “The Murderous Mansion of Mr. Uno,” “Imperfect Proposal,” “Rabbit Hole” and “Chamber Music,” respectively. Auditions were scheduled at office hours, lunch and after school on Monday and Tuesday.
Directors admitted students into the audition room in groups of six to perform their preselected monologue excerpts while the four student directors sat at a table and evaluated their performances.
The student directors did their best to welcome auditionees beforehand by asking icebreaker questions and going over the audition schedule. Each audition lasted around a minute or less, with the directors taking notes in between.
“I chose one of the monologues posted on Schoology and practiced it over and over… then added the gestures and actions,” Dilara Ezer (11) said.
While some auditioning students had participated in previous Harker productions, others decided to try performing arts for the first time.
“It’s my senior year… why not give it a shot?” first-time auditionee Tanvi Singh (12) said. “I’ve never really tried acting before, and taking on a whole new character and empathizing with them [is] very different, and I liked it.”
Tanvi Singh (12) prepares to hurl her wadded-up monologue sheet. Auditions for the showcase were held on Monday and Tuesday, with callbacks held on Wednesday and Thursday.
Each year, Lang-Ree selects the student directors and advises them throughout their masters level course, guiding them through the process of managing and directing a production with their peers as their cast.
“They’re taken through the steps of the play analysis,” she said. “[I teach them] in class through assignments and reading, and then we apply them to the actual shows. To be able to share all of that [with them] is incredible… to teach something you’re so personally passionate about is just a joy.”
The two performances of the SDS shows will take place on Jan. 5 and 6.
