Florida is home to Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Now 'Cursed Child' is coming here
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Expecto Patronum? How about, expecto the fandom!
Florida, already home to the original Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando, will soon produce another form of magic: the Broadway play "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child."
Broadway Licensing Global chose 29 schools to become the first in their state to perform the high school version of the Tony Award-winning play. Coincidentally, the Florida school is one mile away from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
Dr. Phillips High School, 6500 Turkey Lake Road, Orlando, was one of many that participated in Broadway Licensing Global's "Wands at the Ready" contest and earned the right to perform, according to theater site Playbill.
A peek at Broadway Licensing Global's rules for "Wands at the Ready" shows schools were asked to describe why their school or community was the most magical place to produce the Harry Potter play. Contest officials received more than 70 video submissions, and schools from 31 states and Puerto Rico were chosen.
The schools will perform "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" in the fall.
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Daniel Radcliffe stars as Harry Potter in the movies and is the face of Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Hogsmeade at Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure and Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Diagon Alley at Universal Studios. His co-stars, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, played Harry's best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, respectively. Several actors from the films "reprised" their roles for Wizarding of World of Harry Potter rides and attractions.
Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Hogsmeade opened June 18, 2010, at Universal Orlando, followed by Diagon Alley on July 8, 2014. Both parks opened with much fanfare, with a red carpet and celebrity appearances from the cast of Harry Potter.
What is 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' Broadway play about?
Based on an original story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" takes place immediately after the epilogue of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," the seventh book in Rowling's series. (For fans of the "Harry Potter" films with Daniel Radcliffe, the story of "the Cursed Child" occurs after "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2," or the eighth film in the series.) The script for the play was published into a book.
The play takes place 19 years after the source material book series, and follows Harry Potter's son Albus and his friendship with Scorpius, the son of rival Draco Malfoy, in their first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
When did 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' premiere?
After the original West End production of "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" made its debut in 2016, the show was nominated for 11 Olivier Awards. "Cursed Child" won nine, including Best New Play.
When did 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' premiere on Broadway?
After "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" opened at the Lyric Theatre on Broadway in 2018, the show received 10 Tony Award nominations. "Cursed Child" won six Tony Awards, including Best Play.
In September 2019, "Sex and the City" star Sarah Jessica Parker led a "Times Square takeover" for "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child," calling the show an "amazing, extraordinary."
"It's not just on Broadway anymore. It's a global theatrical experience," Parker said in a Sept. 6, 2019, AP video interview. "I think we're celebrating the impact that this play has had across the globe."
From 2019 to 2020, actors Nicholas Podany ("Hart of Dixie," "Chicago P.D.") played Albus Potter opposite Bubba Weiler ("Kaleidoscope," "The Ranger"), who played Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy.
In 2019, Weiler told the AP: "The play takes place the day that Albus is starting his first day at Hogwarts. He gets on the Hogwarts Express, and he meets Scorpius."
In the same interview, Podany explained, "Scorpius is the son of Draco Malfoy. Harry and Draco were arch nemeses in their time at Hogwarts, and then we form a friendship. From that, we go on a bunch of adventures ... (learning) that darkness sometimes comes from the least expected places."
Which high schools were chosen to produce 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' in 2024?
Licensing Broadway Global released its "Wands at the Ready" contest winners:
Alabama: Hewitt-Trussville High School
Alaska: Ketchikan High School
Arizona: Queen Creek High School
California: Cordova High School
Connecticut: Wilton High School
Delaware: Middletown High School
Florida: Dr. Phillips High School
Illinois: Coal City High School
Indiana: Madison Consolidated High School
Iowa: Northeast Community High School
Massachusetts: Westford Academy
Michigan: Portage Central High School
Minnesota: Armstrong High School
Missouri: Sullivan High School
Montana: Flathead High School
Nevada: Faith Lutheran High School
New York: Cornwall Central High School
North Carolina: Cape Hatteras Secondary School
Ohio: Firestone CLC Akron School for the Arts
Oklahoma: Riverfield Country Day School
Oregon: Roosevelt High School
Pennsylvania: York County School of Technology
Puerto Rico: Caribbean School
South Dakota: Hot Springs High School
Tennessee: Collierville High School
Texas: East View High School
Utah: East High School
Virginia: Riverside High School
Wisconsin: Waukesha High School
When will schools perform 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' in 2024?
The "Wands at the Ready" contest winners, 31 schools across the nation and in Puerto Rico, will perform "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" between Oct. 15 and Nov. 10, 2024.
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network-Florida. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Harry Potter: Orlando high school to perform JK Rowling Broadway play