ALT Academy presents 'Puffs,' on magical worlds and a tale of the underdog

Brianna Maestas, Amarillo Globe-News
·5 min read

The Amarillo Little Theatre Academy will present the regional premiere of "PUFFS — or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic" July 13 through 16 at the ALT Adventure space, 2751 Civic Circle.

With the story based off the "Two Act Edition for Young Wizards" by Matt Cox, for seven years, a certain boy wizard went to a certain Wizard School and conquered evil. This, however, is not his story. This is the story of the Puffs… who just happened to be there, too. It's a tale for anyone who has never been destined to save the world.

"This is the story of Harry Potter but told from the perspective of a bunch of Hufflepuffs and my character Wayne, who is this orphan boy wizard from New Mexico and thinks that he is the 'chosen one' but then he meets Harry and gets to the school and slowly starts to see things unfold and realizes 'I'm not the chosen one; I'm just another kid at this school,' and it will be really interesting for people who love the story, to come and see a completely different perspective," said Maddox Nite, portraying the character Wayne Hopkins.

Jamie Yarbrough, Mattie Gillespie, Kennedy Cardenas, Ethan Wilcox, Marby Fristoe, Sabrina Ali, Nicholas Shaffer, Maddox Nite and Jaxx Creek star in the Amarillo Little Theatre Academy production of "Puffs," to be staged at the ALT Adventure Space July 13 through 16.
Jamie Yarbrough, Mattie Gillespie, Kennedy Cardenas, Ethan Wilcox, Marby Fristoe, Sabrina Ali, Nicholas Shaffer, Maddox Nite and Jaxx Creek star in the Amarillo Little Theatre Academy production of "Puffs," to be staged at the ALT Adventure Space July 13 through 16.
Jamie Yarbrough, Mattie Gillespie, Kennedy Cardenas, Ethan Wilcox, Marby Fristoe, Sabrina Ali, TJ Zavala, Nicholas Shaffer, Maddox Nite and Jaxx Creek star in the Amarillo Little Theatre Academy production of "Puffs," to be staged at the ALT Adventure Space July 13 through 16.
Jamie Yarbrough, Mattie Gillespie, Kennedy Cardenas, Ethan Wilcox, Marby Fristoe, Sabrina Ali, TJ Zavala, Nicholas Shaffer, Maddox Nite and Jaxx Creek star in the Amarillo Little Theatre Academy production of "Puffs," to be staged at the ALT Adventure Space July 13 through 16.

Potter fans and muggles alike will delight in this hilarious play about the perils of growing up in the wizarding world. This lively and clever spoof tells an alternate but parallel story of the seven years of adventures known from the "Harry Potter" universe while celebrating the glory of 1990s culture.

While the members of the famous trio do appear in the play in rather unexpected ways, the story focuses on three new would-be heroes who are sorted into the school’s least illustrious house, the Puffs. Neither brave, nor smart, nor snakes, Wayne Hopkins and his well-meaning new friends in the Puffs are simply trying to survive in a magic school which, it turns out, is not very safe for children.

"This story is funny; there are a lot of references that Potterheads will get, a lot of well known and loved characters, as well as some characters that are lesser known," Ethan Wilcox, portraying Oliver Rivers said. "My character, his only quest is to do math. That is his only goal in life, and he is a child prodigy going to Oxford to study math but ends up at Hogwarts to be a wizard, where there is no math class, and begins the seven-year adventure with his friends."

"I think the real heart of the story is that there is beauty in the little things and the underappreciated things," Wilcox added, "because it talks a lot about how the other houses have a thing. The Braves are brave, the Snakes are weird and creepy, the Smarts are smart, but the Puffs are for everyone else who are just as special at doing the things that they love."

From left, TJ Zavala and Maddox Nite perform a scene in the Amarillo Little Theatre Academy production of "Puffs." The production runs July 13 through 16 at the ALT Adventure Space.
From left, TJ Zavala and Maddox Nite perform a scene in the Amarillo Little Theatre Academy production of "Puffs." The production runs July 13 through 16 at the ALT Adventure Space.
From left, Maddox Nite, Ethan Wilcox and Mattie Gilespie perform a scene in the Amarillo Little Theatre Academy production of "Puffs." The production runs July 13 through 16 at the ALT Adventure Space.
From left, Maddox Nite, Ethan Wilcox and Mattie Gilespie perform a scene in the Amarillo Little Theatre Academy production of "Puffs." The production runs July 13 through 16 at the ALT Adventure Space.

This hilarious parody play features 29 talented Academy students and is being directed by Academy Instructor Carrie Huckabay. Jeremy Hernandez serves as assistant director, with Jeri Tidmore and Zoë Parrish as production assistants. Costumes are being coordinated by Joni Norris.

Those familiar with the Potterverse will recognize many of their favorite characters and a vast array of amusing references to the original story, but even those less acquainted with the books or movies will appreciate the comedic and heartfelt journey of the lovable characters.

Mattie Gillespie, portraying Megan Jones, spoke about the story's portrayal of the characters' development across the seven-year time span.

"In this, you get to see the characters' growth over the seven years," Gillespie said. "In the beginning, my character, she is so mean; she wants to be tough. She doesn't want to be a nice Puff, and over the course of the show you see her grow and begin to make friends and be nice. She adds some spunk and little challenge to the show. She is a character that I have never portrayed before, and I'm excited for people to see."

From left, Jamie Yarbrough, Mattie Gillespie, Kennedy Cardenas, Ethan Wilcox, Marby Fristoe, Sabrina Ali, Nicholas Shaffer, Maddox Nite and Jaxx Creek star in the Amarillo Little Theatre Academy production of "Puffs." The parody play runs July 13 through 16 at the ALT Adventure Space.
From left, Jamie Yarbrough, Mattie Gillespie, Kennedy Cardenas, Ethan Wilcox, Marby Fristoe, Sabrina Ali, Nicholas Shaffer, Maddox Nite and Jaxx Creek star in the Amarillo Little Theatre Academy production of "Puffs." The parody play runs July 13 through 16 at the ALT Adventure Space.
From left, Maddox Nite, Ethan Wilcox and Mattie Gilespie star in the Amarillo Little Theatre Academy production of "Puffs." The production runs July 13 through 16 at the ALT Adventure Space.
From left, Maddox Nite, Ethan Wilcox and Mattie Gilespie star in the Amarillo Little Theatre Academy production of "Puffs." The production runs July 13 through 16 at the ALT Adventure Space.

The show's director spoke about the taking on the responsibly of the production following the recent retirement of the ALT Academy director July 1, as well as the excitement of being able to bring the magical world to life through the eyes of the Hogwarts underdog, both in the famous work of fiction and in the real world.

"The Potterheads are going to love this, even if they don't like the Hufflepuffs like so many people do; seeing the Harry Potter story through the Puffs' eyes is just hysterical," Huckabay said.

"When you see the 'Harry Potter' story told through the eyes of the underdog, the one that's always put down, the one that is never the winner, you can't help but root for them; you can't help but love them. You see the Puffs in a different light. No matter your house and even if you don't like 'Harry Potter,' this story is for everyone. You may not understand all of the references, but you will understand the heart of the story," Huckabay added.

Showtimes are July 13, 14 and 15 at 7:30 p.m. and July 15 and 16 at 2:30 p.m.

This production is rated PG. Tickets are $18 for ages 12 and older and $15 for ages younger than 12. Tickets are on sale now. Reservations can be made by calling the ALT box office at 806-355-9991 or online at www.amarillolittletheatre.org.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Amarillo Little Theatre Academy's 'Puffs' explores magic and comedy