AlumniNews
Photo provided by D.J. Blickenstaff '09
Jan. 11-12. The work, which is based on the controversial trilogy by British author E.L. James, drew packed
audiences to the Chicago theater where it originally opened and was part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival before its New York premiere. Baby Wants Candy and Harker have enjoyed a relationship since the group supported the Conservatory’s cast of “Pippin” at the Fringe in 2011; the group did a workshop at Harker last February, and Harker performing arts director Laura Lang-Ree helped bring Blickenstaff and the improv troupe together. Blickenstaff worked behind the scenes in production for the show and also onstage as a dancer. “We did one performance there that somehow filled 788 seats of an 800seat theater. People loved the show.
It was so much fun, and I went back to L.A. so happy to have been a part of it,” recalled Blickenstaff, who went on to do a run in Chicago at the Apollo Theater and the Skokie Center for the Performing Arts. “I played the role of Elliot Grey (Christian Grey’s brother) and also was the assistant director. Once again, we filled every seat at the Apollo both nights and got over 500 in Skokie; and the audiences, to our almost disbelief and shock, loved the show,” he recalled. “I have had the best time of my life. I am so lucky to be a part of this production and I am hoping to keep being in it … yay, Harker Conservatory!”
Mitra Scholar Sarah Howells ’12 Wins Inaugural Churchill Research Paper Competition By Zach Jones
Howells is the contest’s first winner, and it’s not the only first that she has earned for the paper, titled “Winston Churchill’s Efforts to Unify Britain from 1940-1941.” It was also Howells’ submission to earn a grant from the Mitra Family Endowment, which was established last year by Harker parents Samir and Sundari Mitra (Shivani, grade 12). Howells went on to become the first Mitra Scholar for her entry. 48
H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY
S P R I N G 2 013
“I was pretty surprised, since this being the first year of the competition I was not sure what the expectations were,” Howells said. “I would like to thank the Mitra family for supporting humanities research at Harker, Ms. [Donna] Gilbert, Dr. [Ruth] Meyer and Ms. [Susan] Smith for helping me with research and making the Harker history department a strong supporter of independent work, and Ms. [Julie] Wheeler for convincing me to apply for the grant in the first place.” The Mitra Family Endowment for the Humanities matches gifts to the annual giving campaign up to a total of $100,000. “The subject matters taught under humanities such as history, languages, communications and philosophy are critical skills and knowledge that develop well-
Photo by Kyle Cavallaro
S
arah Howells ’12, now a freshman at Princeton University, recently won a prestigious new award. “The history department is delighted to congratulate Sarah on winning first prize in the Churchill Research Paper competition,” said Donna Gilbert, Harker’s history department chair. The competition is sponsored by the University of Minnesota’s Churchill Center.