The Cape Hatteras Secondary School (CHSS) Drama Club is thrilled to announce its selection as the first school in North Carolina to produce Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: High School Edition.
In December of 2023, the CHSS Theater Arts class entered a national contest to become the first school in North Carolina to produce Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: High School Edition through a contest by Broadway Licensing Global. In January of 2024, Broadway Licensing Global contacted Drama Club Sponsor, Blake Taft, and informed him that CHSS had been selected to be the first in the state to produce the show.
The contest, launched in November 2023, asked schools to create a short video outlining why their school was the most magical place in their state. The CHSS Theater students worked together to write an original storyline and script, and filmed it during their fourth-period class. Their contest submission video can be found here.
Cape Hatteras Secondary School’s Theater program has grown exponentially over the last year. In the fall of 2022, community member Blake Taft and English Department Chair Jordan Tomberlin revived the after-school program after a four-year hiatus. Since then, the program has seen huge success in its productions and student engagement throughout the school.
On February 13, 2024, Broadway Licensing Group released a national press release on Playbill.com featuring Cape Hatteras Secondary School as the winner for North Carolina. This win is a triumph not only for the CHSS Theater Program, but also for all Dare County Schools.
“Harry Potter and The Cursed Child is based on an original story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany. 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.
The original West End production premiered in 2016, receiving 11 Olivier Award nominations and winning nine, including Best New Play. The Broadway transfer opened at The Lyric Theater in 2019 and received 10 Tony Award nominations and won six, including Best Play.”
The full press release from Broadway Licensing Global can be found here: https://playbill.com/article/these-are-the-1st-high-schools-that-will-get-to-perform-harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child.
CHSS is currently in production of its spring musical: Disney’s The Little Mermaid which will open April 19, 2024. Their pilot production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: High School Edition will open on November 8, 2024.
