With the chill breezes of the fall season blowing in, it may be time to revisit some of the most famous wizards. Cozy up in jumpers and get ready to experience the wizarding world in Northern Valley Demarest. NVD will be putting together the production, “Puffs!”
Matt Cox’s “Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic”, is a parody based on the storyline of the New York Times bestselling Harry Potter series and feature films.
The play brings the audience into the famous story of Harry Potter through the perspective of the Puffs, rather than Harry Potter and his friends. This story focuses on the main character Wayne Hopkins, who is an orphan from New Mexico, and follows his time at Hogwarts, or in this case, a Certain School of Magic and Magic. Wayne’s story continues this fall, from November 16th through the 18th on the NVD stage.
With the play coming soon, auditions need to happen as fast as they can. The auditions took place on Wednesday, September 13, 2023. Mr. Marconi is the magic behind the scenes of the auditions. Many people showed up for the auditions, which can be nerve-wracking.
“Around 50 students showed up to the auditions this year,” Marconi said.
With the amount of students who auditioned, it can be difficult to find the right people for the roles. Finding the cast for a production is a strenuous process.
“The process starts at the audition. I’m looking to see what the abilities of the students are. I assess on the fly. I’m not looking through any particular lens, just a general gauge of the strengths and abilities of the actors,” Marconi said. “Then, based on how well they do in auditions, I then look over my notes and create a callback list of the strongest actors. In callbacks, I look at different matchups and chemistries between the actors to see who will work well together on stage.”
After the auditions and callbacks were completed, the cast list was revealed. This show contains a fresh take on the Hufflepuff House and on the original Harry Potter characters.
“I’m very excited for the play,” Marconi said. “The audience should expect the unexpected, expect to have a good time, and expect to walk out of the theatre feeling good.”
Now, the NVD community can look forward to seeing another production put together by the theatre department. Admittance letters are coming out for Hogwarts, it’s time to take a trip to the wizarding world this November.
