Grant Steckbeck, Fall Play director and theater arts teacher, describes the extensive spreadsheet of character scene breakdowns, each color coded by importance, overlapping characters, and amount of lines. “I didn’t read [the script] with the intent of it being the Fall Play,” Steckbeck said. “But as I was reading it, I would think, this character is really fun, or I would love to see this happen here.”

CHS theater department prepares comedic Harry Potter spinoff Puffs to perform on stage from Nov. 9-11. The school will show the play in its newly-renovated studio theater.

“It is all seven books,” theater arts teacher Maggie Cassidy said. “I think that it is ambitious… But there’s a lot of cool movement with the ensemble members, and using their robes and kind of integrating that with the play to help with those transitions…”

Fall play director Grant Steckbeck said while special effects can portray the magical atmosphere of Harry Potter, his vision for the play leans towards parody rather than realism.

“I just want to lean into the ridiculousness of everything,” Steckbeck said. “My goal is for the audience to have a great time coming to see the show, and for them to laugh.”

Puffs pulls on knowledge from the Harry Potter universe, but Steckbeck said anyone can find the parodic elements amusing.

 Fall play student director Hailey Cirrincione says she hopes to see the audience laugh at the comedic Harry Potter references, but enjoy the show whether they are fans of Harry Potter or not.

“It’s supposed to be a really engaging play, and it’ll be in the studio theater,” Cirrincione said. “We get to build our own stage, and it’s going to be more of an immersive theater experience.”