Waukesha West 'Harry Potter' play; among first schools in country to perform

WAUKESHA, Wis. - In about two weeks, Waukesha will become home to Hogwarts.

Waukesha West High School is bringing "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" to Wisconsin for the first time.

After acting in eight high school productions at Waukesha West, senior Ethan Vanden Heuvel is taking his craft to new heights.

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"It’s incredible," he said. "I’m not going to lie."

Vanden Heuvel stars in the show.

"It’s 19 years after his battle with Voldemort," he said. "He’s still feeling the weight of the loss of his parents."

Theater teacher Nathan Berish entered the school into a contest to be among the first schools in the country to stage a high school version of the Broadway sensation. Only 29 schools made the cut.

"There’s a turntable, fly systems, projections," stage manager Ireland Rafferty-Stumpf said. "Lots of really, really cool stuff."

Rafferty-Stumpf said actors will disappear on stage, and there are explosions and wands that shoot fire. But the die-hard "Harry Potter" fan hopes the flying is what really wows the audience.

"It’s really, really cool to see my friends having so much fun up flying around," Rafferty-Stumpf said.

The flying rig was installed last week. Berish said it all adds up to be the school's most expensive production ever.

"When all is said and done, we’re going to be between 25 and 30 [thousand dollars] into the show," Berish said.

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The school hopes to lure potter fans to a show they’d otherwise only see in places like New York, London or Chicago.

For Vanden Heuvel, the whole experience isn’t just special.

"Magic is the word that would come to mind," Vanden Heuvel said. "Pure and utter magic."

Waukesha West will hold five performances of "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" Nov. 7-Nov. 10. Tickets are still available.