CVHS To Present "PUFFS"

Faced with choosing a fall show for Conestoga Valley High School (CVHS) students, director Vincent Whitman surveyed the limited offerings and chose to look at newer shows, landing on the approximately 110-minute, off-Broadway comedy "PUFFS," which focuses on three students at a certain school of wizardry, but not the three who might be familiar to audiences.

CVHS will present "PUFFS" at the school, 2110 Horseshoe Road, Lancaster, on Friday, Nov. 18, and Saturday, Nov. 19, at 7 p.m. and on Sunday, Nov. 20, at 2 p.m. A special senior citizen presentation will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 17.

The show tells the stories of Wayne Hopkins, played by Micah Sauder; Megan Jones, played by Lauryn Stowe; and Oliver Rivers, played by Ace Eversole. The friends are students of magic at the same wizard school where a certain boy wizard conquered evil in a series of books and movies. The Narrator is played by Evan Zimmerman. The show's subtitle is "Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic."

At the heart of the show is the story of the relationship between the three leads. "There are a ton of lessons in this show," said Whitman. "It really revolves around friendship and how to become a friend." Whitman noted that the ups and downs of the relationships over the seven years will be recounted with special attention to sticking with a friend when he or she is struggling with an issue.

According to Whitman, while the cast of 30 was not familiar with "PUFFS," they did know of that other famous boy wizard. Many had read the books or seen the movies, and the students understand the references to the original tale. "A lot of them are wearing shirts that reference (that other boy wizard) to practice," he said.

In spite of the large cast size, Whitman pointed out that with the exception of the three leads and the narrator, there are no large roles. However, the students are working on the challenge of acting when they have nothing to say. "Being able to stay in character in scenes where they are in a trance or stuck in a position (is not easy)," commented Whitman. "One actor needs to be frozen and stay that way," he said, adding that in another sequence characters must move in a synchronized fashion.

Whitman is pleased with the large number of freshmen who auditioned, two of whom won lead roles. The students gained experience by taking part in a drama program that has existed for many years at the middle school.

One area that has offered theater experience for a number of students is sound. "We have sound effects for everything (in this show)," stated Whitman. "There's one every three or four lines."

Tickets for all performances are available at http://www.showtix4u.com by searching for "Conestoga Valley High School." Tickets will be discounted for students.