The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Theatre and Dance Department will kick off their season Friday, Oct. 11 with “Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic.” Written by Matt Cox, the play is a fantastical story of what it can mean to be a hero.
The story borrows elements from the “Harry Potter” world, including the similarity of the Hufflepuffs from “Harry Potter” and the eponymous group from Cox’s play.
“Puffs” follows Wayne Hopkins, a “regular” boy who is going to wizard school and is sorted as a Puff, a group of kind and loyal people hoping to learn how to navigate the wizarding world. “Puffs” is described as “a tale for anyone who has never been destined to save the world.”
The Racquet Press sat down with the show’s Director and Assistant Professor of Theatre Studies Nic Barilar, as well as cast members Jack Augustine, Matthew Tollefson, Joshua Kaiser, Nick Bilyeu and Mia Bondy.
When asked about what makes “Puffs” special, the cast members noted the focus on “normal” people instead of a so-called “chosen one,” as well as its multi-faceted nature.
“[Puffs] makes the everyday heroic; it makes everyday people the heroes,” said Barilar. “In an age where…some superhuman beings are…going to have to save us from our calamities, this says, ‘No, everyday people are powerful in their own way.’”
“It’s entertaining and funny without sacrificing substance,” said Augustine, who narrates the play.
Barilar explained the Theatre and Dance Department had anticipated a large incoming class. While this was a good problem to have, it forced faculty to find a play with a larger cast. Barilar and the other artistic directors felt “Puffs” was the right selection due to its cast size and uniqueness among recent shows.
“One [reason for choosing “Puffs”] … was the sheer number of opportunities it offered for casting,” said Barilar. “From another perspective, [we wanted] to do a comedy that was a different kind of comedy than we had done … this is a parody, which is not something we’ve done in recent memory.”
Barilar and the cast also felt “Puffs” fit thematically with the beginning of the school year.
“At its heart, ‘Puffs’ is all about belonging,” said Tollefson, who plays Oliver Rivers. “Everyone has a role to play in this amazing story, and I feel like that is a message people need to hear when they’re starting out at college.”
“Puffs” presents its unique challenges that cast and crew members haven’t had to deal with in the past, including one of the most famous parts of wizardry: spells.
“We cast a lot of spells that are unscripted … it’s going to be difficult to get the lights and sound on [them],” said Bilyeu, who plays a host of characters including Professor Turban and a Death Buddy.
Additionally, the variety of dialects and accents took some getting used to from cast members.
“I had never done any different dialects before, so … going through that process of learning the different dialects, it [was challenging],” said Bondy, who plays Susie Bones, Moaning Myrtle, and a death Buddy.
While the members faced some obstacles, they shared more reasons they loved the play than not. The main reason was that, at its core, the show has a big heart.
“When you dig deep into these characters and the relationships they have with each other, there are some sad moments and some deep connections that we see develop throughout the show,” said Kaiser, who is Wayne Hopkins, the play’s protagonist.
Kaiser continued, “One of [the] things I relate to with [Wayne Hopkins] is that he’s chasing this one, great thing he’s going to do in his life … he finds out eventually that you don’t need that to have lived a good life.”
When asked what the audience can expect from “Puffs,” the cast said to anticipate a feeling of whiplash, a stomachache, and to “bring some Kleenex.” Overall, the show is a testament to found family and belonging.
“It’s quite the spectacle…it’s super charming,” said Barilar. “It’s a lot of laughs, but it’s a lot of heart.”
If you attend:
Who: UW-La Crosse Department of Theatre and Dance
What: ”Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic” by Matt Cox
Where: Toland Theatre, Lowe Center for the Arts (333 N. 16th Street, La Crosse)
When: Oct. 11-12 & 17-19 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 13 & 20 at 2:00 p.m.
Tickets: $20 adults; $18 senior citizens/non UWL students/military; $8 UWL students. Tickets may be purchased online at www.uwlax.edu/theatre-and-dance beginning October 1, 2024. Assigned Seating. For in person/phone tickets, the price is $22 for adults, $20 for senior/non UWL students and $10 for UWL students; call (608) 785-6696. Box office opens Oct. 7 for in person/phone ticket sales. Box office hours are Monday through Friday 1:00-3:00 p.m. and one hour prior to each performance. Assigned Seating.
PARKING: Due to the construction near the Lowe Center for the Arts, patrons are encouraged to arrive early and park in the university parking ramp located on the corner of Farwell & 17th Streets. Parking in the ramp is free after 7:00 p.m. and on the weekends. For those with mobility issues, there is a drop-off site next to the Lowe Center for the Arts on the corner of 15th and Vine Streets.
