CF Students Present “Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic”

The College of Central Florida Dassance Fine Arts Center auditorium is being transformed into a fantastical wizarding world for the four performances of “Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic,” presented live on stage by CF Theatre Oct. 24-27. Performances times are 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Oct. 24-26, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 27, at 3001 S.W. College Road, Ocala.

Told from the point of view of members of the lesser-known Puffs house, who congregate in their kitchen-adjacent basement common room, the fast-paced farce evokes familiar stories of a society of sorcery in which young people – dressed in robes and hats – attend a school of witchcraft, battle dark forces, encounter enchanted creatures, and find plenty of mayhem and mischief. The production includes nearly 30 CF student performers, with four CF staff members cast as wizard-school faculty and several other CF students taking on roles with set construction, costumes and technical crew.

“This production is pure magic,” said Nonalee Davis, CF assistant professor of theatre and the play’s director. “If you are familiar with the wizarding world, you will laugh from the opening line through the entire show, catching all the inside jokes. If it’s your first foray into the magical universe, you will still find it hilarious. Matt Cox’s script is phenomenal.”

CF Theatre Manager Mario Cieri designed and built an elaborate set featuring well-known elements of the castle in which the school of magic is housed, with its myriad staircases and hidden doors and a potions lab where bizarre brews boil and bubble. Preshow music will include original compositions by Erica Morales, a CF student.

“We are growing our performing arts program to offer opportunities to a larger number of students, and increasing the theatre department’s collaborations with other college departments,” Davis said. “We want to give our students a priceless educational opportunity while offering the community an enjoyable experience.”

Theatergoers are encouraged to wear their house colors, wizarding robes or hats, and bring magic wands.  Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for non-CF students and can be purchased at cf.universitytickets.com or by calling 352-873-5810. Tickets are free for CF students, faculty and staff with valid I.D.

For more information about CF Visual and Performing Arts events, visit CF.edu/theatre.