Student directors bring visions to the stage at Student Directed Showcase

In early January, the Student Directed Showcase, the first major upper school performing arts event of the year, treated audiences to a series of one-act plays directed by Harker Conservatory seniors. Directors prepared for the event during a months-long process that included choosing plays, casting, promotion and detailed planning.

In “Grover,” written by Joel Fishbane and directed by Chetana Kalidindi, a young woman separates from her husband and develops an elaborate deception to keep her persona non grata spouse at bay. Emre Ezer directed Clarence Coo’s “Removing the Glove,” a comedic but chilling alternate-reality tale in which being left-handed is so stigmatized that southpaws face widespread discrimination and bigotry. Sana Aladin looked to the classics, directing Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest,” a Victorian-era comedy about multiple identities. Don Zolidis’ “Dystopia!” directed by Kayvon Solaimanpour, presented a darkly funny nightmare scenario in which a group of teenagers must face the many dangerous tropes of young-adult dystopian fiction.