On Aug. 22, 2025, the Emerson theatre company announced that the fall play this year is “Puffs.”
ETC is holding auditions for the “Puffs” cast on Aug. 26 and 27 after school. The audition requires a monologue of the auditionee’s choice on the first day and cold reads on the second day of auditions. All interviews for tech theatre or crew are digital this year, consisting of a video submission that must be emailed to both directors, Libby Rotan and Benjamin Loub, by Aug. 26 at 6:30 p.m.
For attire, tech is expected to dress professionally for their videos, and actors are encouraged to look presentable
This year, ETC has decided to use the Band app for all forms of communication. The app will have all types of information, including monologues and all of the questions needed for tech interviews. The cast and crew list will also be posted in the app.
“Puffs” is based on the Harry Potter series written by J.K. Rowling. It focuses on the overlooked students at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, specifically Wayne Hopkins and his two friends Oliver Rivers and Megan Jones. The theatre officers were overjoyed to announce that this show had been written by one of Rotan’s former students.
“I am immensely proud, the script feels like something he’s saying that I’ve heard him say befor,e” Rotan said. She expressed how, when reading the script, she felt very comfortable and felt like coming home.
When casting a show, directors have the difficult task of casting students in the correct roles. “I’m looking for people who make big choices because there [are] no small characters in this show. I want people who take the characters and fly with them,” Rotan said.
Although auditioning in front of directors or judges can be scary, Rotan believes that practicing or engaging with a friend beforehand can help calm students’ nerves.
“If you’re having fun, you’re going to make fun choices, and this show is about silly fun,” Rotan said.
ETC has grown a lot in the past years, and Rotan has shifted her goals accordingly.
“I am hoping to have a show [that gets] a lot of students involved. We have this really big freshman class and I’m trying to get as many people involved as possible so they can gain new experiences,” Rotan said.“If acting isn’t your style, you can still be a part of this production. The tech crew … [is in charge of] all aspects of the show that run behind-the-scenes, whether it’s costume, building, controlling the lights.”
This new season brings lots of challenges and new opportunities for the theatre department. As auditions come closer, make sure to check the black box theater, in room F110, to grab all of the information needed for the show.
