On April 26, the curtains rose on Prep’s production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. A continuation of the Harry Potter saga taking place 19 years after the final installment of the original Harry Potter series, the drama follows the plot of Albus Potter, Harry and Ginny’s son, as he goes to Hogwarts. 

Albus befriends Scorpius Malfoy, the son of his father’s arch nemesis from his time at Hogwarts. The two become the most dynamic of duos, despite Harry’s attempts to keep them apart. 

Together, they face many challenges and victories. 

Prep’s production stars Briggs White as Albus Potter. Briggs is no stranger to the spotlight, as he has been in multiple Prep productions before, such as My Fair Lady, Anastasia, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and more.

  However, this is the first time on stage for some stars, such as Eighth Grader Edward Coco, who played Scorpius Malfoy.. Edward said, “I was surprised about getting a lead role my first time in a Prep production. It’s been a lot of fun honestly and everyone has been pretty welcoming. It’s been a lot of fun getting to meet new people who I wouldn’t have otherwise.” 

Edward was inspired to audition because of his love of Harry Potter and the appealing nature of the show. 

As seen in the Harry Potter movies, there are a lot of special effects and moving parts in the set. Like the films, the Prep production has multiple special effects, such as wands that light up. Along with the special effects were complicated sets and props, especially the moving staircases. 

The Prep Fine Arts Department, however, is no stranger to extravagant sets. As seen in Phantom of the Opera and Anastasia, Prep thespians are skilled at navigating the complex sets, all while staying in character. The allure of the high-level sets added significantly to the magic of the play. 

Unlike most Prep plays in the past, The Cursed Child features multiple faculty members as teachers in the story.

Lifelong Harry Potter enthusiast and Eighth Grade English teacher Kathryn Shuff is among the teachers who elected to participate in the production. 

Mrs. Shuff said, “It’s been interesting just because it gives all of us insight into what goes on in performing arts. We didn’t know just how much time and effort goes into making these productions happen. I think it definitely added humor for the teachers; we all had the best time figuring out costumes because we really wanted to make it funny for the audience.”

Overall, The Cursed Child was a smashing success, and brought the “Wizarding World” home to Prep.