![“[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)
Director Kit Wilder choreographs fall play fight scenes
Hamlet’s understudy, Gurutam Thockchom (9), and Ishanya Anthapur (10) rehearse their fight scene outside of Manzanita Hall.
In order to properly portray the intensity of the complex Shakespearean play, fall play director Jeffrey Draper asked Kit Wilder, his close friend and fight scene choreographer, to direct the dramatic fight scenes in the show.
“The biggest challenge for Hamlet is to avoid one thing and to succeed at another thing, […] and I want to succeed at having [the fight] be a part of the story,’ Wilder said.
Draper called Kit to make the Hamlet fight scenes look professional, yet easy for the actors to perform. Wilder has previously directed and acted in Hamlet through other theater companies such as the City Lights Theater.
Although not all of the performers are a part of the intense scenes, Draper thought that the stage combat would be a new form of acting for the whole cast. Besides giving the cast a new opportunity, he wanted the actors to be comfortable while portraying these scenes.
“[I called Kit] to make sure that the sword fighting would be as safe as possible and also look really polished,” he said.
The cast worked mainly on the last scene of the play in which the characters Laertes and Hamlet fight to death. Vishal Vaidya (10) and Namrata Vakkalagadda (11) play those roles, and they expressed their excitement in using swords to portray the fight scene. Both actors had to work with an open mind to the new form of acting because they had never learned combat.
When introduced to the challenges of fight scenes, Namrata also took acting into consideration while depicting the intensity of the last scene in Hamlet.
“You are not just fighting for fun; you are trying to play a character,” she said.
Along with being a novice at fight scenes, Vishal has never performed theatrically before the fall play. Even without any previous experience, he said he received assurance from both directors that the show will be successful.
“[Wilder] gave us a great edge on creating the fight scene, and its going to look awesome,” he said. “The stance and just learning how to make [the moves] look professional [were challenging].”
The first show of Hamlet will be on Thursday, October 25.
Ayushi Gautam (12) is the Managing Editor of Harker Aquila. She has been a part of the journalism program since her freshman year. She was the Social Media...