Theatre Central’s spring play, “Puffs,” will be held in the Naperville Central auditorium on March 3-5 at 7:30 p.m. 

“Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic,” written by Matt Cox, is a parody of Harry Potter from the perspective of the “Puffs,” who are similar to members of the “Hufflepuff” house. While the play references Harry Potter, most of the characters are original. The play follows Wayne, Oliver and Megan throughout their seven years at magic school. 

“If you love Harry Potter, you’re going to enjoy it and you’re going to recognize familiar ideas, but it’s totally its own story,” said director and Theatre Central sponsor Susan Johnson. 

The cast of the ensemble show has only eleven people with actors playing multiple characters throughout the show. Sometimes an actor plays more than one character in one scene. 

“The show is very fast paced, so they really work together on everything,” Johnson said.  “They develop their own characters and their own interactions. This group has just been amazing to watch.”

Junior Nicholas Zaccaria plays the lead character, Wayne Hopkins, and said he hopes to resonate with the audience. 

“Wayne is not good at magic, but he really really wants to be a part of something big,” Zaccaria said. “He wants to do something to change the world. I think that’s something a lot of high schoolers can relate to.”

This is the first spring play that has been held at Naperville Central in two years. 

“It’s been exciting to have a whole year at Theatre Central after a while,” Zaccaria said. “I hope they have a really good time and laugh a lot. But also walk away with a smile which I think they will. The show has got a heart to it.”

After “Puffs,” Theatre Central is holding their spring mainstage play, “Beauty and the Beast,” from May 12-14. At the same time Theatre Central is working on Central’s One Acts festival, composed of short plays directed and written completely by students. 

“It’s one of Theatre Central’s biggest projects because there are multiple plays and casts. A ton of kids get involved, and it’s really really fun,” said Johnson. 

Tickets for “Puffs” can be purchased at the door on the night of the show. Tickets cost $5 for students and $8 for adults.