Growing up I can remember quite clearly the excitement that originally surrounded first the Potter books, then soon after, the movies. Since then I've seen the next generations of readers get into the stories with no less enthusiasm. So it's been fun to work on a play that celebrates the wizarding world while at the same time not taking it too seriously - if it takes it seriously at all. Our show invites you to remember the best of what the stories offer - the importance of friendship, the challenges of growing up, and especially the simple joy of imagination. But this time it does it through the lens of the all too often overlooked students...the underdogs...the Puffs!
We probably all feel like a Puff at some point - like we don't really fit in, or no matter how hard we try we'll never get the credit we think we deserve. But the really special thing about the Puffs is you can't put a label on them. They are many things, and the world needs them as much as anyone else. And if anything, they won't give up, no matter how much life throws their way.
Many thanks to the people who worked hard, and never gave up, to make this production happen: To the students in the cast and crew who saw the potential of this play and took on its unique technical and performance challenges, with its magic tricks and ensemble cast playing a wide variety of characters; to the families who contributed to our production in many ways, particularly Mike Hazy, Greg McElroy, and Ray Ventura with their set and props work; and to my own family, the women of my life, whom I love the most.
Enjoy the show!
-Patrick R. McElroy, director
