
There’s a school district in North Jersey that has a theater program so magical it was granted a wish no one else in the U.S. has: to produce a version of a “Harry Potter” stage play.
Hoboken Public Schools was chosen from Broadway Licensing Global (BLG) to be the North American World Premiere of “Harry Potter and The Cursed Child.” “We are a pilot production helping BLG see what works or needs to be adjusted within the script,” Danielle Miller, Fine & Performing Arts supervisor for Hoboken, tells New Jersey Family. “Many students and production team members were huge fans and naturally everyone was excited that our program was selected.”
This project involves the entire school community. More than 300 students from Kindergarten to 12th grade auditioned, and there are roughly 100 students cast from the three elementary, one middle and one high school in town.
Hoboken offers an extensive theater program for its kids, starting in Kindergarten, with three full-time certified theater educators in the K-5, 6-8, and 9-12 sections. Miller said that in December, the audition process took 5 days, plus callbacks.
The leads have been rehearsing since January and the ensembles joined in March. The theater program has to design everything, except for the music, “(and) we are actually not allowed to copy anything from the movies or Broadway production. So even the house flags are original designs that had to be approved for use by BLG and the Harry Potter Franchise,” Miller says. They also get help from Broadway Media to create original projections for the production.
“Our staged production is completely original in concept,” she says. The high school students came up with many ideas for the technical elements and even created the props and set dressings.
A fun surprise was that although the next season’s show is usually announced in the spring season’s theater program, instead a huge District Show Reveal Party was held in September. That left students, staff and parents guessing all summer about what the production would be. “We invited the school community and had about 350 attendees as we announced, almost like a sports pep rally, the ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ North American Premiere,” says Miller.
Excitement is buzzing for the shows in May, and Miller says everyone in the district feels honored to have been chosen for the debut. “We want to make sure we do the show justice and that we deliver the best quality show we can to our community and the State of New Jersey,” she says. “We feel there is a little added pressure compared to other productions just because we are the first. We want to really showcase how talented and creative public school theater programs can be while also helping future schools see the possibilities in being able to stage this production.”
Theater school districts throughout New Jersey will get a sneak peek on May 13 at the dress rehearsal. So far, Miller says about 20 drama clubs and GSA Clubs plan to attend. “It is exciting to have theater educators and students in our state get to be the first audience members to enjoy this magic piece of theater. We hope they all decide to produce this show once the rights become available as it has been a delightful and creatively stimulating process.”
Jeffery Keilholtz, senior vice president of Marketing for BLG, said more schools throughout the U.S. are lining up for their own productions in the fall. In the meantime, Superintendent Christine Johnson tells New Jersey Family she is “beaming with pride” over the announcement.
“Our hope is that we continue to grow and inspire other school districts in our state and perhaps even in the U.S.,” Miller says. “The arts are usually the first programs that get cut from school budgets, especially theater and dance. We are so proud in Hoboken to be a district that fully funds the arts and appreciates the impact it makes on our students.
“Theater is not about acting out a role on stage; it teaches life skills such as self-confidence, teamwork and public speaking. I have seen firsthand how a student being involved in our productions grows and develops these skill sets in only a few short months,” Miller says.
“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” North American Premiere will be performed May 15 and 16 at 5 pm; May 17 at 7 pm; and May 18 and 19 at 2 pm at Hoboken High School, 800 Clinton St., Hoboken. Tickets are available for “Harry Potter” as well as the other district performances.
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