Puffs at Don Russell Performing Arts Centre

Post

Subscribe

Posted 2020-10-13 by groover ⇒ follow

Thu 12 Nov 2020 - Sun 15 Nov 2020

You may know of a certain boy wizard who went to wizard school for seven years – but do you know the story of The Puffs, who happened to be there too? Coming to the Don Russell Performing Arts Centre is the play Puffs by Matt Cox, which also has the alternative title Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic.

The Art in Motion Theatre Company production is directed by Lys Tickner and described as "a play for anyone who has never been destined to save the world". A cult hit since first opening Off-Broadway in 2015, Puffs had a record-breaking three-month season in Melbourne in 2018.

"Puffs has a hilarious, friendly and heart-warming tone," Lys said. "The Puffs are the underdogs of the school, always coming in fourth place."It's a new look at a familiar adventure from the perspective of three new heroes just trying to make it through wizard school. The show is an inspired comedy for anyone who has ever felt like a secondary character in someone else's story."

The main challenge, according to Lys, is the play's fast pace. "Quite a few of the jokes and the comedy would be lost if the pace wasn't right," she said. "And because Puffs is in no way associated with a certain well-known brand, we have to be vigilant about not breaching any copyright laws."

A member of Roleystone Theatre since 1989, Lys directed her first play – The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – as a 20-year-old in 1993. She has gone on to direct Alice in Wonderland, Little Women, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Little Shop of Horrors, High School Musical, The Snow Queen and Grease and has been involved in a plethora of productions, either singing, dancing, acting or stage-managing.

In 2018, Lys established the Art in Motion Theatre Company with a group of like-minded people who wanted to put the fun back into theatre. Earlier this year, she co-directed The Last Five Years at Fringe World, picking up a weekly award in the music and musicals category. "I haven't tackled a play for a few years and was introduced to Puffs through the Off-Broadway live recording and could see the challenge in directing such a quick-moving play," Lys said.

Niamh Nichols plays Megan Jones, a classic moody teenage with a "who am I?" complex. "The Puffs are really nice people who value loyalty and making friends," she said. "Megan is quite moody and tough, which is quite different from me. She thinks she's the boss and the character is definitely making me tougher in my day-to-day life."

The main challenge for Niamh is not smiling while on stage. "There are so many hilarious lines in the play and even funnier people delivering the jokes," she said. "I spend most of my time at rehearsals laughing off-stage – so good luck trying not to laugh while watching this show!"

Performing most of her life, Niamh embraced her passion while at John Curtin College of the Arts where she won the Bill Izett Award. She has since worked with Midnite Youth, Roleystone and Melville Theatres and Fresh Bred Productions."Puffs appealed because I'm a massive fan of that certain boy wizard," Niamh said. "I read at least one of the books each year and love the movies. I was lucky enough to see Puffs in Melbourne in 2018 and could not stop laughing.

"It is a show for everyone but really for the fans with so many inside jokes! If you haven't watched the movies or read the books for a while, maybe brush up on your trivia to fully enjoy the show."

Puffs plays at 8pm November 12, 13 and 14; 2pm November 14 and 6pm November 15. Tickets are $25, $20 concession – book at www.trybooking.com/BLKMC. The Don Russell Performing Arts Centre is at Lot 13, Murdoch Road, Thornlie.