On Thursday, September 1, auditions were held for the Linganore High School (LHS) fall play, “Puffs.” Fifty students turned out to audition for a role– a record number of students to audition for a fall play.

The selected fall play details the magical world of Harry Potter through the eyes of well-known characters, as well as a few unfamiliar to fans. The play is based on the Hogwarts house of Hufflepuff and is rated very highly.

The audition process initially began with interviews for the creative team on Wednesday, August 24. Seniors Malia Smaha and Megan McCaffrey were selected by staff directors Angela Smithhisler and Dan Lake to be a part of the creative team. Smaha will serve as the student director and McCaffrey will be the stage manager.

The auditions required each student to prepare a short 1-2 minute monologue to perform on audition day. The auditions lasted about two hours in total, and the creative team stayed at the school for many more hours afterward to discuss the cast list. As the student director, Smaha was on the decision-making team for casting. She reported to be very happy with the auditions.

“We saw a bunch of super talented people come out,” said Smaha. “I think the show is going to be super funny, and there’s a lot of jokes that high schoolers are going to connect with– I think it’s a really good show. I think the cast is going to do amazing.”

The cast list was released at 9 p.m. September 1 after auditions were held. Just a few minutes after results were posted, senior Julia Hersch was escstatic to learn that she had been cast as Wayne Hopkins, one of the leads. In “Puffs,” Hopkins is a wizard who serves as the main character.

“The auditions in my group were fantastic,” said Hersch. “I’m glad with what [role] I got.” Hersch reported that she is eager to see where the show goes and to see how the comedy of the show develops.

Smaha is very excited to see where the play process takes the show, and she believes that the possibilities are endless.

“I am looking forward to seeing this whole show come together with the talented group of people that we have. I’m excited to see how every actor in the show takes [the] character they’ve been given and makes them into their own,” said Smaha.

“Puffs” will be performed in the LHS auditorium on November 10-13. Online ticket sales will be available closer to performance dates.

For more updates on the fall play and other Linganore Drama productions, follow @LHSDramaFCPS on Twitter and Instagram.