{"id":960,"date":"2018-06-01T08:34:00","date_gmt":"2018-06-01T16:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fnsreporting.com\/blog\/?p=960"},"modified":"2026-04-09T18:29:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T02:29:13","slug":"its-showtime-the-rothschild-performing-arts-center-opens-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fnsreporting.com\/blog\/2018\/06\/01\/its-showtime-the-rothschild-performing-arts-center-opens-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Feature: It&#8217;s Showtime! The Rothschild Performing Arts Center Opens"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-issuu wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-issuu\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Harker Magazine Summer 2018\" src=\"https:\/\/e.issuu.com\/embed.html?u=theharkerschool&#038;d=harker_magazine_summer_2018\" style=\"border:none; width: 500px; height: 383px;\" allow=\"clipboard-write,allow-top-navigation,allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation,allow-downloads,allow-scripts,allow-same-origin,allow-popups,allow-modals,allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox,allow-forms\"  allowfullscreen=\"true\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-wordpress wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-news\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"GCJOiMIWFE\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.harker.org\/its-showtime-the-rothschild-performing-arts-center-opens\/\">It&#8217;s Showtime! The Rothschild Performing Arts Center Opens<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;It&#8217;s Showtime! The Rothschild Performing Arts Center Opens&#8221; &#8212; Harker News - The Harker School\" src=\"https:\/\/news.harker.org\/its-showtime-the-rothschild-performing-arts-center-opens\/embed\/#?secret=2viFFaJZR6#?secret=GCJOiMIWFE\" data-secret=\"GCJOiMIWFE\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This article originally appeared in the <a href=\"https:\/\/issuu.com\/theharkerschool\/docs\/harker_magazine_summer_2018\">summer 2018 issue of Harker Magazine<\/a> and was <a href=\"https:\/\/news.harker.org\/its-showtime-the-rothschild-performing-arts-center-opens\/\">reprinted in Harker News Online.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Note from the Head of School:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Harker thanks all those who contributed to the amazing effort it took to bring both the Rothschild Performing Arts Center, with its Patil Theater, and the athletic center, with its Zhang Gymnasium, to fruition. Community members chipped in with donations large and small, attended events to celebrate milestones in the construction and joined us for our opening ceremonies in August and February. These facilities will serve many future generations of Harker students and we honor you, our community members, for making it all possible.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Rothschild Performing Arts Center has been in constant\nuse since opening on Feb. 2, and students are reveling in the change to their\nexperiences as performers. Classrooms and rehearsal spaces were in immediate\nuse and a number of academic performances, as well as five big public\nperformances, have been held.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first big show at the Rothschild Performing Arts Center\n(RPAC) was United Voices, a night of vocal performances from all of Harker\u2019s\nlower, middle and upper school choirs. Students were impressed with the\nadvantages of the new space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;\u201cMost obvious to me\nwere the superior acoustics in each classroom,\u201d said Millie Lin, grade 12, who\nsang with Cantilena, the upper school women\u2019s chorus. \u201cWe could now practice in\na space that fits the size of our sound, and shape the quality of it. I could\nenjoy our music making so much more! The acoustic quality is so incredible that\nour performances feel more intimate, making the connection between choir and\nsong more comfortable and beautiful.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Akhil Arun, grade 12, sang with Downbeat, one of the upper\nschool choirs. \u201cThe most exciting part of performing in the new center is just\nthe feeling of having a performing space that we can call our own. It always\nfelt like intruding when we would perform in other spaces, but now it really\ndoes feel like we belong here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHaving this building on campus will massively help performers\nas it now expands what we can do. In many of my performing classes I am taking\nat school, we are now able to just walk over and try a monologue or a scene on\nstage, something that none of us could even dream about a couple years ago. I\nthink the RPAC is just the perfect space to house the performing arts at Harker\nas it offers state-of-the-art technology in all aspects of the performing\narts,\u201d he finished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fellow Downbeat singer Rahul Bhethanabotla, grade 12, noted,\n\u201cHaving the building to practice and perform in is a massive game-changer.\nThere are multiple practice rooms so vocal groups, instrumentalists or anyone\nreally can practice in an ideal environment for music.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In March, the first official instrumental performance took\nplace at \u201cAn Evening of Jazz.\u201d The Middle School Jazz Band, The Harker School\nJazz Band and The Harker School Lab Band all played. \u201cI found it nice to\nfinally play at home because it automatically feels more welcoming,\u201d said\nElizabeth Shchegrov, grade 8, who plays the trumpet in the Middle School Jazz\nBand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;\u201cThe theater looked\nvery professional [and] it boosted my confidence.\u201d Shchegrov noted that\ntechnical advantages were immediately apparent. \u201cIn comparison to other\ntheaters, I could hear the rhythm section and saxophones much better. Usually,\nit\u2019s hard for the trumpets to hear [the rhythm and saxophones], because we are\nbehind them. It helped my section; I knew exactly what the tempo&nbsp; was and which part of the chart we were on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Satchi Thockchom, grade 12, who plays drums for The Harker\nSchool Jazz Band, noted the sweet advantages of being on campus for the\nrehearsals and show. \u201cThe [acoustic] shell brought out a lot more of the subtle\nsounds, so I think the audience could hear the intricacies of the pieces. I\ncould actually hear the whole band and that helped me approach the songs more\nmusically.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nothing pushes the boundaries of live performances like a\nmusical, and this year\u2019s musical within a musical, \u201c42nd Street,\u201d gave the\nstage crew a chance to stretch its wings (pun intended!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c42nd Street\u201d technician Logan Frank, grade 11, has been\ncrewing for Harker shows for two years. \u201cFor me,\u201d Frank said, \u201cthe most\nsignificant difference has to be the multiple possibilities of the new theater.\nAt the old Blackford Theater, we were limited by the changes we could make\nonstage, and the number of props, sets and backdrops we could use. Now, with\nall the new equipment in the Patil Theater, my job gets much more complicated,\nbut also more exciting. I get to use items like the pin rail, catwalks, scene\nshop and more, which allows me to train and learn how to use all of these tools\nin the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The more complex technical options allow for greater\nflexibility. \u201cThanks to the catwalks, we can change light equipment easier and\nfaster than before, which gives us more time for rehearsals,\u201d Frank noted.\n\u201cFinally, the amount of space backstage allows us to be able to set up\nsignificant structures on stage, which gives our performances a whole new\naspect.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the finest experiences has been that of the musical\nperformers as they finally have the full access and range of equipment that\nthey need to do the best possible job. Sameep Mangat, grade 12, has been in\nmusicals throughout high school and directed her own Student Directed Showcase\nthis year. For her, the best thing about the new facility is, \u201cThe aura and the\nfeeling,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe facilities, of course, are amazing. Having actual quick\nchange stations on both sides of the stage, having a prop table not on [just]\none side of the stage, and being able to actually stand backstage and not share\nthe space with a couch \u2013 that of course has all been incredible from an\nactress\u2019s point of view. \u201cFrom an audience\u2019s point of view, it\u2019s the fly space\nand the beautiful backdrops and the set pieces that can all be stored backstage\nthat create the beauty of an actual, professional show. However, for me \u2026 in\nthe RPAC, it\u2019s a whole new aura of sophistication and artistry that made me\nfeel truly like an actor, not just a high school drama kid.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Members of one of the biggest groups to use the theater, The\nHarker School Orchestra, slid right into their chairs for their first\nperformance in the RPAC. \u201cIt\u2019s amazing to have such a nice and accessible venue\non campus,\u201d said concertmaster Constance Horng, grade 11, noting rehearsals in\nthe Patil Theater help the group get a feel for the acoustics and space they\nwill be using in the actual performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBefore the RPAC opened, we would only get one rehearsal at\nour off-campus venue on the day of the concert,\u201d Horng said, \u201cso it\u2019s\ndefinitely been more convenient to have the Patil Theater so close. I love how\neveryone, no matter what aspect of the program they\u2019re involved in, is able to\ncome together and collaboratively enjoy the innovative technology and beautiful\naesthetics of the theater while pursuing something that they are passionate\nabout.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cJust Dance\u201d was the final public show in the RPAC this\nschool year, and dancers loved being \u201chome,\u201d too. Charlotte (Charley) Huang,\ngrade 12, is captain of Varsity Dance Troupe and has been dancing at Harker\nsince grade 7. \u201cThe RPAC feels more like home while the other venues, like\nFoothill College\u2019s theater, although beautiful, feel like just a place to\nperform,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMy favorite thing about performing in the Patil Theater is\nthat whenever I come out after a performance, I know my friends are waiting for\nme. Now that the shows are at school, the performances are easy to access and\nattend and it makes it easier for all my friends to come watch. The RPAC is\nhonestly such a special building for a high school to have and it makes me feel\nlucky to go to a school with such amazing opportunities for the performing arts\nthat you don\u2019t see at other schools,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Eloquence aside, students feel the advantages of the RPAC in\ntheir creative hearts. Eighth grader Shchegrov summed up the whole reasoning\nbehind the RPAC: \u201cIt made me want to play better because a great hall should be\nfilled with great music.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This article originally appeared in the summer 2018 issue of Harker Magazine and was reprinted in Harker News Online. Note from the Head of School: Harker thanks all those who contributed to the amazing effort it took to bring both the Rothschild Performing Arts Center, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[193,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-960","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-education-and-schools","category-featured-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fnsreporting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/960","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fnsreporting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fnsreporting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fnsreporting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fnsreporting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=960"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.fnsreporting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/960\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1010,"href":"https:\/\/www.fnsreporting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/960\/revisions\/1010"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fnsreporting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=960"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fnsreporting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=960"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fnsreporting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=960"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}