Metea Valley Theatre tells the story of young wizards in ‘Puffs’

Metea Valley High School Theatre will present their fall play, “Puffs!” on Nov. 14-16. Performances will be at 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday in the high school auditorium, 1801 N. Eola Road in Aurora. Tickets are $10 or $5 for seniors and students. Order tickets at www.meteavalleytheater.org.

Matt Wolski answered some questions about the production.

Q. Why did you choose “Puffs” for Metea Valley High School's fall play?

What we loved about this script was that it took something that many people are familiar with, the world of Harry Potter, and took a completely insane spin on it. It is satire at its best; taking a world that adults grew up with as children and turning it upside-down and inside-out from a completely unique perspective, that of the Hufflepuffs, or Puffs. The writing by Matt Cox is done with a nod and a wink toward all the nostalgia while highlighting and poking fun at the flaws of the original storyline within the movies and books. We are frequently comparing the script Cox wrote to that of a Mel Brooks-style satire as well as Monty Python’s technique of actors playing multiple characters within a story with the most over-the-top characterizations.

We also loved the themes, one of which is similar across all of J.K. Rowling’s books, that family is bonded by more than just blood, but rather people who are there for you no matter the situation. The other is the idea of failure.

Wayne, our “hero,” has a great moment where he talks about how being a Puff is about failing over and over again. But rather than accept failure and move on, they keep trying until finally, through resilience and determination, success. They press on, keep moving forward, and grow together as a family.

While we were reading, we found ourselves visualizing everything and just … having fun and laughing out loud! We want that energy and positivity for our kids. If we are finding that joy in our own reading of the script, we can take that same energy and help our students create it for themselves.

Q. For those who aren't familiar, please describe the plot.

The story of “Puffs” is a parody of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter following the story of the Puffs, which runs parallel to the events of the now infamous tale. It focuses on Wayne Hopkins — a boy from New Mexico who is neither brave, smart, nor a snake — after he learns he’s a wizard. Upon arrival at a certain school of magic, he’s placed into the Puffs: a group of well meaning, loyal rejects.

Over the next seven years, he’ll try to learn magic; try not to have his life ruined by his four-eyed nemesis (Harry); and try to not to get hurt in what is actually a very dangerous place for unsupervised children to be. Sometimes he will succeed, mostly he will fail, partially he will find something in between.

Q. How will your play differ from the original?

The original show relied on a more minimalist approach with their set and tech. While we do honor that to a degree, we wanted to create opportunities for our students to show their creativity, especially when it comes to our technical theater skills. We will be relying heavily on our sound and projection students as well as our makeup and costume department throughout a show that relies heavily on comedic timing and the quickest of quick changes.

Q. What were the most challenging aspects of getting this production together?

The most challenging part of the show is realizing how old I am and how long ago the world of Harry Potter was! While the Wizarding World is still a cultural phenomenon, it is hardly as relevant as it once was even 10 years ago, which would make the youngest of our students 4 at that time, the oldest 8.

There are so many inside jokes and references to the books and movies that our students did not understand that tormented our older directing team because we wanted to explain everything. However, we did not want to ruin the surprise because our cast had a plan. They held a movie marathon day and performed “research” by watching all eight movies to better understand the references. When they came back, it was like a whole new cast showed up and they understood all the nods and winks of the Wizarding World. We finally started laughing together and all was well in the world of Puffs.

Q. What did you find most rewarding?

The relationships our kids forge with each other is easily the most rewarding, second only to seeing all the hard work finally pieced together to create what will be an epicly insane and entertaining show. With our plays it is important that our kids are comfortable within the environment and the people around them, and our program is lucky enough to have a great community that provides amazing and welcoming students.

We do our best to harness that kindness and make it a foundation of our program. While we have a lot of returning theater students, they are always welcoming of our new performers, whether they are freshmen or simply want to give theater a try. I guess, as a whole, we really are just a bunch of Puffs!

Q. What were some of the best moments in putting together this production?

Most of our students, outside the main characters, play four or five different parts within the show. Watching them just experiment endlessly, being absolutely fearless in their attempts to find each one of their different characterizations both vocally and physically, were some of the best moments we had directing because we really got to see some amazing acting from our kids, many of whom surprised us with their versatility!

On the tech side, we added some new components, specifically our production manager Rebecca Walker who was able to create and organize more opportunities for our students to learn all the different aspects of technical production, outside of set building, that we have not always had opportunities to teach. We have been able to expand our program and further our students’ passions and interests.

Q. What do you think audiences will enjoy most about this play?

We really hope the audience enjoys the tongue-and-cheek nature of the show. Our actors really leaned into those winks at the lore while creating the parodies of the infamous characters of the wizarding world. There are some really crazy moments that were created by both our tech and our actors, all of which we believe are extremely entertaining and frequently break the fourth wall, bringing an aspect of audience participation into the show whether it be through our narrator, the magic cast in the show, dementors, or even the Dark Lord himself!

Q. What do some of the students have to say about the show and their role in it?

Tommy King (junior): As a costume and props technician as well as a stage captain, this show is so technically complex and full of content that there is something for everyone. A show like this leaves you questioning your eyes while being bombarded with even more to comprehend. I cannot wait to show the community the payoff of our hard work and dedication. It will be truly magical.

Nikita Sen (sophomore): Awesome! It's been really well planned and organized. I'm a techie for props, makeup, and costumes, and everything goes smoothly, whether we're following instructions from teachers, stage managers, or completing tasks on our own. There is also a lot of team effort and working together for tasks and if we run into any problems, it's easy to find help from other students or teachers.

Mily Tamhankar (sophomore): I love the atmosphere of the show and how I have been able to make very strong connections with the people in it! I enjoy interpreting my role and making character choices, as well as just having fun while I'm on stage!

Alexander Vierling (junior): Having the role of J. Finch has allowed me to explore a different type of character than I'm used to. Being the sort of comic relief character has given me an opportunity to make more choices that can engage the audience and have them laugh and enjoy the show even more.

Paulina Zagata (sophomore): What I have to say about Puffs is that it’s truly been an honor to be a part of. Not only meeting the cast has changed my life but also working through this process to share my passion with others really helped me get out of my box. My character Sally brings a comedic essence to our show with her ditzy persona and her growth. Overall, I couldn’t ask for a better fall play experience.

Jensen Trinko (senior): I think my role as multiple characters, ranging from a very happy Hufflepuff, named Ernie Mac, to a grumpy potions teacher has taught me how to portray different types of body language and voice changes subtly. This show has also taught me how to use a British accent. Going into this I was really scared because I couldn't do a British accent at all. I've really enjoyed the experience of working on this show as an actor and becoming closer with my fellow actors, and just getting to work with so many kind and amazing people who uplift me.

Gauri Soni (senior): I absolutely love Puffs. As a senior, this is my last fall play at Metea and having a show about Harry Potter be one of the last shows I'll act in at this school is such a dream come true as a Harry Potter fan. I get to immerse myself in a world that I've loved since I was 11 and even introduce it in a new light to other people who may not have enjoyed it like me.

Q. Anything else you'd like readers to know about this show?

This is such a full show, with so much happening on stage at all times. We highly recommend seeing it more than once to catch all the references and the comedy that is happening either right in front of them or by our ensemble in the background! Every time you see it, you will uncover more of the magic that is being created on stage by the students.