On Nov. 11 and 12, the drama club put on their own production of the play “Puffs.” Student tickets sold for $5 and adult tickets sold for $10. They also performed a preview for senior citizens and parents on Nov. 10. “Puffs” is based on the Hufflepuff house in the Harry Potter series. 

Sophomore Olivia Behe played multiple characters in the Harry Potter spin-off. Behe played Myrtle, Blondo, Hermeoone and Bippy. Behe enjoyed performing for everyone in the fall play and gaining friendships with other cast and crew members. 

“My favorite part of doing the show was definitely getting to know new people and becoming friends with everyone in the cast,” Behe said. 

Acting is a big part of Behe’s life and hopes to perform for years to come. 

“I really like performing in front of people, even though it can be a little nerve-wracking. It’s always an interesting and fun experience. I hope to continue acting in college, but probably not after that,” Behe said. 

According to Behe, the play was a little stressful and at times, not perfect. Behe believes everyone in the production really tried to make the show as good as it could be. 

“I think the show really came together towards the end. There were some practices that I wondered if we were going to pull it off, but I think everyone gave it their best effort and that’s what makes a show good,” Behe said. 

Behe has performed in other productions the drama club has put on and plans to be in the upcoming spring musical. 

“Other shows I have done with the high school are ‘A Christmas Carol’ and ‘Newsies’. I encourage everyone that wants to audition to try out. I think it will be more fun than ‘Puffs’ because it is a much bigger show and you get to spend a lot more time with friends,” Behe said. 

Along with all the cast and crew, senior Keira Mayhue was the student director of the production. As student director, Mayhue took care of things that a regular director would. 

“I helped with our audition and casting process. I was able to block and work with the cast for the whole act and bring the vision of what I had to life,” Mayhue said. 

Mayhue has been acting since she was young. She feels acting always came naturally to her. 

“I have always been a very dramatic kid. Whether it was putting on a concert for my parents or a dance recital for the whole family on Christmas Eve. I don’t know if anything, or anybody for that matter, really inspired me to start acting,” Mayhue said. 

As student director, Mayhue had an alternative experience than everyone else in the play. Even though she enjoyed her role, performing on stage is where her passion lies.

“My favorite part of the process was actually getting closer to the show. When you start working on a show, the process can be very slow and long because you’re figuring all the basics out. In the spring, although it would be very exciting to direct again, I will be performing on stage,” Mayhue said.

Mayhue helped the director, Ben Cossitor, put on this production. Cossitor decided on “Puffs” as the play for this year because he felt everyone needed a laugh. 

“This was a show that is just a lot of fun to do. It had rooms for lots of students to participate. We all wanted to have some fun and have a blast up on stage,” Cossitor said.

The drama club practiced for weeks leading up to the show. Hours were put in every day after school and on the weekends. 

“We started [practicing] at the end of September. We worked for six or seven weeks after [auditions]. It was two hours a day, four hours a week and in the last couple weeks it was five days a week and three, four or five hours a day. We also did a lot of work on Saturdays,” Cossitor said. 

Cossitor believes the play was a huge commitment for students but worth it in the end. He thought doing a comedy that made people laugh a lot was good for the actors. 

“We were laughing constantly at every rehearsal. There were still things we laughed at even though we had seen them 100 times,” Cossitor said. 

The next production the drama club will put on is the spring musical, “42nd Street”.