Buffalo Bill’s Show Rides Into Town Yee haw! Irving Berlin’s masterpiece of the American West, “Annie Get Your Gun,” rode into town in April and was a rip-roaring good time! The Conservatory’s annual spring musical was directed by Laura Lang-Ree, with musical direction by Catherine Snider and choreography by the department’s favorite import, Katie O’Bryon. Paul Vallerga built a set that was reminiscent of Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show, which was the setting for the action, and Brian Larsen oversaw the technical crew, which was ably looked after by stage manager Ben Englert, Gr. 12. “Annie Get Your Gun” is a fictionalized account of the true love affair between sharpshooters Annie Oakley and Frank Butler. The show contains some of Berlin’s most well-known tunes, which the ensemble sang with precision and gusto: “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” “Anything You Can Do,” “Old Fashioned Wedding,” “You Can’t Get a Man with a Gun,” and “Doin’ What Comes Natur’lly,” to name only a few. Annie (Lauren Ammatuna, Gr. 12) and Frank (D.J. Blickenstaff, Gr. 11) were required to master some difficult technical moves; Ammatuna hung on a trapeze and was spun in circles, and they both, along with Buffalo
Spring Musical Receives Recognition In a rare honor, the cast of “Annie Get Your Gun” was asked to perform at the American Musical Theater of San Jose 2008 High School Musical Theatre Honors Ceremony at the end of May. The troupe was “selected to perform as a cast as recognition of the high caliber of our performance and program,” said Laura Lang-Ree, the show’s director and performing arts department chair K-Gr. 12. The ceremony took place at the fabulous Center for the Performing Arts in San Jose.
Newcomers Michelle Holt, James Seifert and Clara Blickenstaff, all Gr. 9, were delightful as Annie’s knowing little siblings, and Nilesh Murali, Gr. 9, gave humor to his Chief Sitting Bull. Alex Underwood, Gr. 12, Hassaan Ebrahim, Gr. 9 and David Mihai, Gr. 10, rounded out the principle actors. Snider’s professional band included Chris Florio, the Conservatory’s instrumental instructor, and costumes were beautifully designed by Caela Fujii, with invaluable assistance from Lizzie Cutler, Gr. 11. The acting, dancing and musical skills of the Conservatory’s students continues to dazzle audiences. A giant tip of the (cowboy) hat to Lang-Ree and her crew for another success!
Orchestra to Visit the Big Apple! Calling all experienced string players! Join the Upper School Orchestra in their quest to win the National Orchestra Cup next April at Lincoln Center in New York. “We’re looking for experienced violinists and cellists,” said Chris Florio, orchestra director. “There is also great need for motivated students who want to learn the oboe, bassoon or even the tuba!” Contact Florio for more information at chrisf@harker.org. Harker News — June 08
“The award has only been given to a high school three times in the last eight years, and we also received the first one,” she added. “In fact, the award was created for Harker and our production of ‘Oklahoma!’ Catherine Snider (musical director) and I believe very strongly that the strength of a show lies in how strong the entire team is, not just the leads, so this award is quite special to us.” The cast began re-rehearsing in mid-May when they heard the news, and performed “My Defenses are Down,” an all-male number. “The judges were really overwhelmed by the number of guys in our show and their talent level, which is why this number was selected. This was a great honor and the whole cast and crew should be very proud,” Lang-Ree said.
Showstoppers Join in Parade Showstoppers, the MS girls dance troupe directed by Amalia Vasconi, performed at the Mountain View Family Spring Parade at Pioneer Park in late April. It was a great event, and several other community groups performed. The Harker group did two routines from this year’s repertoire, one from the Harker Family Picnic and one from the faculty basketball game earlier this year.
Amalia Vasconi
Bill (Joe Hospodor, Gr. 11), had to work through some intricate timing sequences involving skeet shooting and rifles (fake, of course). Ariel Gaknoki, Gr. 12, was charming as the flirty Dolly, Frank’s assistant who’s in love with him, and Cailin Mackenzie, Gr. 11, and Shilpa Rajgopal, Gr. 12, shone as Tommy and Winnie, the young couple trying to marry in spite of Dolly’s objection that Tommy is half-Native American.
Awards are no longer given at the event; the honor comes from being asked to perform. “Out of 36 local high schools, only a handful of casts were asked to perform that night. This is a reflection of all our students’ hard work and certainly a reflection of the Outstanding Ensemble award we already received,” Lang-Ree said.
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