As students eased into the winter months, fumbling to prepare for the quickly intensifying 2nd quarter, the FIHS theatre department was soon ready to unveil what was poised to become a promising performance, surpassing the expectations of many.

Puffs, a play chronicling (and parodying) the experiences of the Hufflepuffs across the Harry Potter series, was FIHS theatre’s third play of the academic year, and began production simultaneously alongside The Wizard of Oz and Asylum. After Oz and Asylum had finished, our troupe finnaly had the time to fully dedicate to Puffs– and it shows in their performance.

Having gleefully watched and photographed many of FIHS theatre’s plays in the past, (She Kills Monsters comes to mind most prominently) I went in with high expectations- it’s safe to say that said expectations were met, surpassed, and honestly, made fun of. Puffs- a comedic performance making fun of a book series I was hardly familiar with, ended up being a surprisingly emotional piece, positing a narrative inextricably tied to a moral of self-acceptance, and coming to terms with mediocrity; such a moral is frighteningly applicable to our highschool youth, considering the rat race that is competitive academia and college admissions, so it really resonated with me. Nate Netherland, (right, aiming the wand) occupied the lead role of Wayne, who, as Nate describes, is “some regular orphan, boy wizard from Arizona,” forced to tackle growing up, with the caveat of “always being second best.” In typical Hufflepuff fashon, Nate’s character Wayne is forced to live in the shadow, while more prominent Hogwarts students like Harry Potter hog the limelight, forcing Wayne and his fellow HufflePuffs to fade into the backround. (or atleast, that’s how the typical Harry Potter books would go) Nate goes on to share that Wayne is “unremarkable, but that’s the point” Like any compelling character, and teenage boy for that matter, Wayne develops a lot. “I loved the way he changes, from stupid youthful innovence, to teenage angst, to maturity.” This sporadic change that Nate points out is so indicative to Wayne’s admittedly simple character. It makes him easier to relate to, which is just what makes the play so darn funny. The constant fun-poking towards the teenage experience, and Rowling’s portrayl of said experience in the Harry Potter books, makes for a surprisingly sincere, meta commentary on it all- while still being loads of fun.

Nathan’s Wayne wasn’t the only character to be filled with such emotion, however. Sydney Fontenot, pictured holding the ever-so-comedic, “NO BEING TOO SAD” sign, had the luxury to play many roles. Of these roles, Syney says that her favorite to play was Hannah, who, like Wayne, was also a Hufflepuff student. Interestingly, Sydney’s favorite part about playing Hannah was that “she was said to be awkward,” and yet, “the script gave a lot of freedom to how I could play it. I kinda tried to pull from my experience with ADHD, especially from when I was a kid, because I was less grounded and organized.”

After having talked with both Nathan and Sydney, I can’t help but appreciate how they seemed to have pulled from their own experiences, and used their insights to enrich their performance. Likewise, Sydney shared that “self expression and human connection is KEY in threatre, just as much as it is in society and our daily lives!”

Considering all the passion, practice, and if I had to assume, pain, that went into putting on such an effective performance, it puts my heart at ease knowing that our theatre troupe is finally getting some much-deserved recognition.

FIHS hasn’t sent a show to the state competition since 2017- until now. The success of this show, while easily reaching the eyes and hearts of the FIHS students who were lucky to see it, also managed to pique the interests of some judges. Out of MANY schools in Florida, our theatre troupe specifically was picked to compete, and give Puffs one more well deserved go around!

While there are many influencing factors for the success of Puffs, Syney attributes it to “the value of the fine arts in our community.” She further praises that “[her] friends, fellow drama members, and Mrs. Williams, put in so much effort to do the amount that we do all year, and in such an entertainment driven age, I think artists and performers deserve a moment in the spotlight for what they do.”

For only being the third show of the year, FIHS drama is off to a great start- and I’m sure they’ve got plenty more in store for us to see. Break a leg, theatre friends! I know you’ll do great!