The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

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Lang-Ree directs seventh annual fashion show, “Outside the box, chic and unique.”

It is hard to not notice the man spinning a cube, performers singing their hearts out live, snakes wrapped around the wrists of models, and everything else which made this year’s fashion show “Outside the box.” But what went during the performance left unseen are the efforts of a woman hidden by a veil of darkness with a headset in the background: Laura Lang-Ree.

As the chair of performing arts department at the Upper school, Lang-Ree overlooks all school sponsored performing arts events—in expanding her managing abilities, Lang-Ree, with the consent of other members of the department, took on the challenge of directing the fashion show, “Outside the box, chic and unique.”
“It’s the other side of performing arts,” she said about directing the fashion show. While the technology and logistical planning are more advanced than what Lang-Ree handles in regular school performances, directing the fashion show is a welcome change of pace, Lang-Ree said.

The performing arts department started managing the show four years ago after Lang-Ree took on the initiative to research into the performers at fashion shows for other high schools in the Bay Area. In the process of researching various performances by groups similar to Downbeat, she came to realize that, “all of the shows were the same.” To create that edge of a difference between our school show and the other school’s shows, Lang-Ree took a, “vested interested in making it Harker,” she said.

Each facet of the production was directed by Lang-Ree. Each photo slide and sound bite in the background, every second of blocking on stage all were decisions cast by her or with her approval. And while the show ran, Lang-Ree sat behind the overpowering black table in the back of the room, instructing and creating a group vision. Ice breakers at hand and granola bar accessible, Lang-Ree dealt with last minute changes the day of the show with people ranging from the student debaters to the other tech crew members. A collective group effort came down to these two shows.

“One minute,” Lang-Ree calls out to the rest of the backstage team. A minute before the show and all that is on her mind is making sure she “calls the right shots.” Nine months ago, a team of five people met together to choose the theme for this year’s show. Finally, after months of planning, the team is producing their vision.
She said, “Screen 1, Go. Screen 2, Go. Voiceover, Go,” and then the show began.

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