Over three magical nights, an audience of over 1,500 was held spellbound by Haileybury’s production of the High School Edition of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. 

In what was one of Haileybury’s most ambitious Senior School productions to date, the students exceeded all expectations, not only bringing magic to life on the stage but also raising the bar for future productions.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child allowed students to enjoy the benefits of performing a contemporary production within a much-loved story.
“It is really exciting to be one of the first schools to do a script when it’s released for amateur rights,” explains Nicole Smith, Senior School Head of Drama and Theatre Studies.

The cast embraced the opportunity to bring to life their own versions of well-known characters by using the script to explore roles and deepen their understanding of character motivations. 

Drama Captain, Simon in Year 12, enjoyed exploring the complex father-son relationship between his character of the well-meaning Harry Potter and son Albus. “Harry is a man of action, but he still harbours trauma from the original books and I think he forced that back on to his own son Albus,” he says. 

The focus was firmly on stagecraft rather than special effects. “We focussed on the actors creating the magic. The dream of using pyrotechnics couldn’t happen due to safety concerns, so we got creative with lighting, costumes and misdirection,” explains Nicole. 

With its intricate storyline that spans multiple locations and timelines, bringing The Cursed Child to life was a challenge. In the high school edition, the script runs to two and a half hours, down from the original six-hour professional production. The rehearsal process for such a long story was intense, with the ensemble having just eight Sundays to prepare. The lead cast members also dedicated extra time over additional Friday night and lunchtime rehearsals.  

“It was really important to always be positive and show we could have fun while also demonstrating how hard we were supposed to be working,” says Simon. 

Haileybury also drew on valuable community and industry connections for input into the production. Hayden Spencer, a performer in the hugely popular Melbourne production, coached students; while Lee Cohen, a magician and illusionist who had also worked on the commercial production, ran workshops. 

Nicole acknowledges the valuable input of Haileybury’s Lighting designer Matthew Sanderson and set design consultant Christina Logan-Bell, who collaborated to support the cast and crew to stage a truly magical theatre experience.  

Throughout the production, the cast and crew learnt to support each other and meet challenges with creativity and problem-solving. “Our drama captains went to great efforts to make everyone feel part of the show, including our backstage crew, which fostered a strong sense of community and commitment to the show,” Nicole explains. 

Behind the scenes, there were many magical moments for the students. These included the excitement when the ensemble first saw the lighting effects, the closeness of the cast and crew and the excitement as the final curtain fell and it was clear that the students had successfully brought their very own brand of Hogwart’s magic to the stage.   

As a testament to the cast and crew’s hard work, Haileybury’s production of The Cursed Child has been recognised with a record-breaking 17 Lyrebird Award Youth nominations. These awards celebrate and recognise artistic merit and endeavour.