![“[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)
The frenzy of audition season brought actors, singers and dancers back to the Rothschild Performing Arts Center (RPAC).
Fall Play auditions for Moises Kaufman and the Members of the Tectonic Theater’s “The Laramie Project” were held on Zoom from Aug. 28 to 30, with callbacks on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1. “The Laramie Project” investigates the community response following the 1998 murder of gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard. Actors auditioned with two-minute monologues from plays written after 1950. Performances will happen from Oct. 26 to 28.
New upper school performing arts teacher Brandi Reinhard met with actors in May to discuss options for a fall play. She said the group’s desire to engage with heavier material influenced her final decision.
“I want [the actors] to be able to explore the more dramatic and deeper [side of theater],” Reinhard said. “[The Laramie Project] is going to be a very impactful piece and very timely with legislations that have been proposed and enacted.”
Dance Production auditions were held on Sept. 8 in Patil Theater. This year’s Dance Production, “Night and Day,” will be on Jan. 26 and 27. Harker Dance Company (HDC) co-captain Yasmin Sudarsanam (11) choreographed and taught a sequence to dancers during the audition. The sequence featured different styles and techniques for a complete evaluation of a dancer’s ability. Choreographers then evaluated them in smaller groups.
Ballet dancer Jennifer Liu (9) said she felt excited for her first Dance Production.
“I’ve always dreamed of [being in] a dance production,” Jennifer said. “We didn’t have one [at my middle school]. I’d really like to try other types of dance than ballet and to make new friends.”
This year’s student choreographers, seniors Emma Cai, Selina Chen, Anna Lee, Luke Mehta and Cecilia Yang and juniors Maya Affaki, Claire Cheng, Yasmin Sudarsanam, Arthur Wu and Sonia Yu, also control the music, costumes and lighting for their dances. Dance Production participant Sriram Bhimaraju (12) said he appreciates the student involvement.
“A lot of the show is student-choreographed,” he said. “You connect a lot more with your peers rather than just being taught by instructors. I want our production to inspire more people to do [dance production] next year.”
Musical auditions for “Wedding Singer,” a comedy following a pining wedding singer, were held on Sept. 5., with callbacks on Sept. 9. Actors prepared 16 bars of music and a monologue from a provided list. They also learned a dance and performed in groups.
An audition workshop was held during long lunch on Aug. 24. Upper school performing arts director Laura Lang-Ree and music director Catherine Snider explained show information, audition song suggestions, and tips.
Leo Sobczyn (11) said they enjoyed the camaraderie formed in the packed environment of auditions.
“Callbacks, especially for a principal role, were very stressful,” Leo said. “We were [in the RPAC] on Saturday for seven hours, learning all the music and trying to put our best forward. I’m looking forward to working with the directors, [both] technical and show, because all of them have so much information to learn.”
The Harker Concert Series hosted a Chanticleer workshop for vocal classes on Sept. 22.
