Fans of "The Boy Who Lived" are in for a treat Thursday and Friday night at the Park Theater as the stage will be transformed into a certain wizard school with an alarmingly high mortality rate.
Warren Arts will be presenting "Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic," this Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m. The delightful play is a tongue-in-cheek look at one of the less popular houses during the school years of a very famous but unnamed wizard and his friends.
The play is co-directed by Karigan Smith, a Warren County High School senior, and Rachel McGee, a teacher at the high school. "This is something she was really wanting to do," McGee said of Smith. "When she showed up for a show planning committee meeting I was watching her eyes go back and forth and I asked if she would like to do something together. She jumped on it," McGee added.
"Puffs" was one of the shows Smith was most passionate about. Smith is also serving as lighting designer for the show. "She wouldn't have it any other way. This show is her baby," McGee said. "Karigan brought this show to my attention and was so excited with the opportunity to bring it to Warren County that I went with her enthusiasm. As a co-director she has been focused and driven to see the project through."
Smith and McGee are aided in bringing the show to life by a cast of 29, ranging in age from sixth graders to adults. The cast consists of Walker Beaty, Layla Boyd, Elizabeth Carr, Kathryn Carr, Lyla Collier, Emma Coppinger, Melody Crim, Madelyn Ford, Abby Graves, Lily Harvey, Ezekiel Hayes, Jose Hernandez, Gracie Holt, Dawn Hoover, Frank Horton, Charles Langford, Noah Mart, Eleanor Matheny, Samson McClain, Caroline McGee, Jude McNeal, Silas McNeal, Arlo Ming, Blaze Pezzimenti, Briana Phillips, Sally Rogers, Sky Smith, Sara Grace Turner and Trinity Young.
"Our cast of 29 is truly stellar. We have veteran community theater actors and actors for whom 'Puffs' is their first or nearly first time on stage. Several of these kids have a list of productions more than double their ages. Our four adults in the cast have been so patient. It can be hard to share a stage with a bunch of kids, but our 'grown-ups' are having as much fun as the 'young-uns.' Each actor - young and (ahem) older, brings a different direction to the characters they have created," McGee said.
While the actors are working off of a well-written script with oft-practiced movements, Smith and McGee give their cast the freedom to experiment and take ownership of their roles. "I enjoy watching unique personalities develop. The moments get even better when I see the cast react to each other. We have cast members who have really taken on the challenge of improvisation and have written their own monologues, which can add a challenge because the rest of the cast wants to stop, laugh and enjoy the moment just like an audience would. For our audiences, improvisation means the show should never be exactly the same twice," McGee said.
Though the work of putting on a show of this magnitude can be exhausting, McGee feeds off the energy of the actors and promises more shows to come.
"Theatrical enthusiasm is infectious - last Friday I was completely tired out, then Saturday, a group of them approached me to lead them in another show at the high school this spring. When you see this kind of eagerness, dedication and drive, it's hard to say 'no' to our young actors. Keep your eyes open, lots of good things are still to come," McGee added.
Doors at the Park Theater at 115 E. Main St. open at 6 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and show time is at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at the Park Theater box office, at mcminnvilleparktheater.com or at the door and are general-admission seating for $20.
