Lake Park High theater to bring ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ to the stage
Join Lake Park High theater for an enchanting experience as the talented high school students bring to life the eighth installment in the beloved Harry Potter series.
“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: High School Edition” is based on an original story by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne.
Nineteen years after Harry (played by junior Matthew Tarullo), Ron (sophomore Trevor Watson), and Hermione (senior Kacie Cooper) saved the wizarding world, they’re back on a most extraordinary new adventure.
This time joined by a brave new generation that has only just arrived at the legendary Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
When Harry Potter’s headstrong son Albus (sophomore Brayden Cervantes) befriends Scorpius (senior Anthony Johnson), the son of his fiercest rival, Draco Malfoy, it sparks an unbelievable new journey for them all — with the power to change the past and future forever.
Albus & Scorpius use a stolen time turner to go back in time and try to prevent the death of Cedric Diggory. They soon realize that their time traveling adventures create alternate realities, including a world where Voldemort reigns.
With the help of Harry and Ginny Potter (senior Frankie Molfese), Hermione, Ron, and Draco (junior Jason Sullivan), they must figure out how to undo the changes they made or live in the New World they created. Prepare for spectacular spells, a mind-blowing race through time, and an epic battle to stop mysterious forces, all while the future hangs in the balance.
Director and Lake Park English teacher Sara Keith shared, “It is a tremendous honor to be one of the first schools in Illinois selected to perform ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.’ Our students have this once in a lifetime opportunity to create the wizarding world and play these iconic characters. This has been a student-centered team effort.”
Get ready for an unforgettable journey into the wizarding world at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5; 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6; and 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, at the East Campus Dice Auditorium, 600 S. Medinah Road in Roselle. Purchase general admission tickets for $5 via gofan.co/app/school/IL15547.
Director Sara Keith answers some questions about the production.
Q. How many students are involved with the production?
Over 50 students are involved.
Q. How will your play differ from the original?
This version of the play is intended for high school students, so it does not have the pyrotechnics and smoke machines and revolving sets from the original. Our effects for time travel are achieved through staging, projections, and lighting and sound effects.
Q. What were the most challenging aspects of getting this production together?
The most challenging aspects were coordinating all of the transitions and time travel sequences with actors, sound, lights, sets, and projections. There are a lot of moving parts in this play.
The support of student stage manager (senior Evelyn Voyles) with her assistants (sophomores Johnny Henderson and Madelyn Knight) has helped in organizing the various scenes, props, staging, and special effects.
Student choreographers (sophomore Tiya Tenneti and freshman Liliana Alarcon) have staged and taught the ensemble our two dance numbers.
We have students running lights (freshman Johanna Voyles), sound (junior Java Lane and sophomore Finn Galizia), and working on special effects (led by tech director Ethan Goldspiel and his student crew) that are essential elements to this entertaining story.
Q. What did you find most rewarding?
The most rewarding part is working with the dedicated cast and crew members. Students took leadership roles with stage managing, scene changes, choreography, sound, and lights.
Q. What do you think audiences will enjoy most about this play?
The production team and student cast and crew are doing a phenomenal job working together and telling a story focused on friendship, family, and the power of our choices and actions on the trajectory of our lives.