Goleby has been with the show since it opened here in February 2019. “It’s been part of our lives for such a long time, and so many things have happened,” she says – such as the arrival of her firstborn child midway through the play’s pandemic lockdown hiatus. “We’ve had births, we’ve had deaths, we’ve had marriages. We’ve been a part of this [Harry Potter] world longer than we were at drama school.”
There are moments from the old version she misses, she admits. But the shorter version still feels like the “same journey”. It’s not only the script that’s changed. The arrival of her child changed her relationship to her onstage son Albus: “I realised that what I was saying, what I was doing, was advocating for him,” she says.
And Ginny’s onstage relationship with Harry deepened, too, as Goleby came to appreciate the challenges of co-parenting. The revised show, she says, is “a more genuine reflection of them as a couple and as parents”. They have even come up with new dialogue, invented in the re-rehearsals with license from the international creative team. And she still finds the show an adrenaline hit to perform.
“Just about every scene has magic, or a technical element that you just have got to be on top of,” she says. “There’s no ‘kind of getting it right’ with magic, it’s either going to work or not … You just suppress [the adrenaline rush] until you need it, use it when it’s useful, and move on.”
Unlike Goleby, Lachlan Woods is joining the cast for the first time, as Malfoy. His choreography for the fight scene is different to his predecessor’s: “a little bit supercharged, a little bit more gritty, more street fighter”, he says. But for him, the show is all new. “There’s a lot more fire than I had anticipated. Flammable liquids and gases.”
During an interview for the upcoming HBO Max reunion special, “Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts,” franchise star Daniel Radcliffe read a letter he gave to co-star Helena Bonham Carter during filming that revealed his crush on the actress 23 years his senior.
“Dear HBC,” Radcliffe, 32, began the letter. “It was a pleasure being your costar and coaster in the sense that I always ended up holding your coffee.”
Radcliffe then laughs, embarrassed at the rest of the note, as Carter urges the “Guns Akimbo” actor to continue reading.
“You can share,” Carter, 55, said, to which Radcliffe replied, “I can. I can share this now.”
“I do love you,” he continued. “And I just wish I had been born 10 years earlier [so that] I might [have had] a chance. Lots of love and thanks for being cool.”
Daniel Radcliffe once claimed to “love” co-star Helena Bonham Carter. Nick Wall/HBO Max
But Carter, who played the villainous Bellatrix Lestrange in the series, was far from Radcliffe’s only love interest while on set: The actor shared that many of his early romantic experiences took place while filming the iconic series.
“Every part of my life is connected to ‘[Harry] Potter,’” Radcliffe said during the special. “My first kiss is connected to someone here. My first girlfriends were here. It all spirals out from the part of set somewhere.”
Radcliffe remains mum on whom exactly he dated while filming, but admits that filming “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” was “peak hormone” for much of the cast.
“There was crushes and people went out with each other and broke up just like you do in school,” Matthew Lewis, who played Neville Longbottom in the series, revealed. “It was exactly the same environment but it was just in a Defense Against the Dark Arts class.”
Emma Watson and Radcliffe even advised each other on the art of flirting via text while on-set.
“If she was texting a boy or I was texting a girl, I would be like, ‘She sent me this many kisses back. What do I do? This is a nightmare,’” Radcliffe joked.
But some other long-running franchises have enjoyed stellar successes even as Potter’s magic has appeared to be waning. The last three movies in the Star Wars series earned a combined $5.98 billion globally (though the final film, The Rise of Skywalker, was panned by critics and some fans, it still topped $1.34 billion).
The Spider-Man franchise has endured ups and downs since Toby Maguire first felt his spidey senses tingling in 2001, but the most recent addition — No Way Home, with Tom Holland slinging the webs — has racked up a staggering $2.53 billion globally, proving that if you get the formula right, not even a pandemic will keep the fans away.
By contrast, Harry Potter has been unable to maintain that kind of momentum in Australia. The first film, which opened in 2001, took more than $42 million locally. The second, in 2002, took $37 million, the third (2004) just under $34 million. The peak came in 2011, when the final instalment, The Deathly Hallows – Part 2, took $52.65 million in Australia (these figure have not been adjusted for inflation).
The Fantastic Beasts films have taken $32 million and $23 million respectively.
ORLANDO, Fla. – Witches, wizards and Muggles alike are all welcome at LeakyCon Orlando 2022, which is coming to the Orange County Convention Center in July. Consider this your Hogwarts acceptance letter that got lost in the mail all those years ago.
From July 29-31, you won’t need to grab your broomsticks or Floo powder to travel into the magical world of Harry Potter.
All weekend long, fans from around the globe are invited to participate in the world’s largest Harry Potter convention, complete with panels, performances and special guests from the film series.
Sean Biggerstaff, who played Gryffindor Quidditch captain Oliver Wood in the film franchise, is making his LeakyCon debut and will be joined by Chris Rankin, who played Percy Weasley; Stan Yanevski, who played Viktor Krum; Josh Herdman, who played Gregory Goyle; fandom creators Chanel Williams, @chanwills0 on TikTok and Cherry Wallis of YouTube fame.
Fans can enjoy photo opportunities and autograph signings with the special guests as well as panel interviews and in-depth discussions about the books and films. Additionally, wizard rock bands and live recordings of fan-favorite podcasts will provide attendees with entertainment for hours.
To purchase tickets and find out more about what to expect, click here. Tickets that were purchased for the 2021 event, which was delayed due to COVID-19, are still valid.
It was originally announced May 22, 2019, and now, nearly three years later, Toronto‘s production of the Canadian premiere of the world’s most awarded new play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, is finally well underway.
The cast and creative team met in person for the first time Monday at the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre while the soon-to-be home of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child — the CAA Ed Mirvish theatre — continues to undergo a more than $5-million renovation.
This is the first time a show will have physically altered the theatre’s lobby and auditorium — with the goal of creating an immersive experience upon entry.
The massive production has taken over two major downtown Toronto theatres. One of the rehearsal halls at the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre has been completely dedicated to the more than 500 costumes.
“This was very complicated on different levels because I didn’t want to let anybody down. It’s got a huge fan base; you wanted to kind of honour everybody’s own kind of imagination and sense of this world,” said Katrina Lindsay, costume designer for the play.
Since the Hogwarts capes require thousands of metres of fabric to make, the costume design team had to get the fabric specifically milled for this production. Thomas Mitchell Barnet, who plays Scorpius Malfoy, tried on his Slytherin House costume for the first time.
“The detail of the cut is so amazing,” Barnet told Global News.
“It’s a separation between myself and the world of the play, so that’s exciting to start to feel.”
Later in the day, Luke Kimball, who plays Albus Potter — the middle child of Harry Potter — got his final fitting and a first look in the mirror became emotional.
“As soon as I put the robe on for the first time, I just started crying. It was really moving putting the cloak on for all that it meant for me and my childhood — my mom read it to my brothers and I — but it was also waiting two years for this thing to happen,” said Kimball.
The story, set 19 years after Harry, Ron and Hermione saved the wizarding world, will hit the stage at the CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre on May 31.
2:00 Canadian cast for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child meets at first day of rehearsals
Canadian cast for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child meets at first day of rehearsals – Apr 4, 2022
Both US Quidditch and Major League Quidditch will change the name of their sport, according to a news release Wednesday. Organizers for the real-life broomstick sport, patterned on the magical competition from the Harry Potter franchise, will choose a new name to avoid copyright issues and distance themselves from controversy surrounding series author J.K. Rowling.
The leagues said they will choose the name through conversations with their attorneys and a series of surveys taken by volunteers, players and stakeholders. The new name will be chosen by January 2022.
“The leagues are hoping a name change can help them continue to distance themselves from the works of J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter book series, who has increasingly come under scrutiny for her anti-trans positions in recent years,” Wednesday’s release read.
First started in 2005 at Vermont’s Middlebury College, the game takes most of its major rules from the Harry Potter book series. Similar to a combination of soccer and football, quidditch requires its players to run while using broomsticks and has increased in popularity as a recreational sport.
England, Oxford, University Parks, Quidditch team practice.
Because the name “Quidditch” is trademarked by Warner Bros., which produced the Harry Potter films, the leagues have been unable to broadcast their matches and have been limited in sponsorship opportunities. Officials believe the name change will allow for better growth and opportunities.
One of the founders, Alex Benepe, expressed “his support” for the name change, saying he was thrilled for the sport’s opportunity to grow.
But league officials are also changing the name in response to recent controversy surrounding Rowling, who has made what fans have called anti-transgender remarks.
“Our sport has developed a reputation as one of the mostprogressivesports in the world on gender equality and inclusivity, in part thanks to its gender maximum rule, which stipulates that a team may not have more than four players of the same gender on the field at a time,” the leagues said Wednesday. “Both organizations feel it is imperative to live up to this reputation in all aspects of their operations and believe this move is a step in that direction.”
A long-running two-man parody that abbreviates the entire “Harry Potter” series into a 70-minute show is coming to Phoenix this month.
“Potted Potter,” a stage show that has toured the world over the last 15 years, will have a three-night run at the Madison Center for the Arts from Oct. 28-30.
The night will be an immersive experience into J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World: Guests are encouraged to dress as their favorite characters, and the bar will serve a “butter brew” for the occasion. There will also be an interactive game of Quidditch.
Costume contest winners will earn 2022 season tickets to the Madison.
October live shows in Phoenix:J. Cole, Jonas Brothers, Maroon 5, Chris Stapleton
“Potted Potter” promises to be a fun time for all, regardless of whether you have reread the “Harry Potter” series innumerable times or have never watched a minute of any of the eight films. Muggles “ages six to Dumbledore (who is very old indeed)” are welcome to enjoy the experience, according to the show’s website.
“It presents the Harry Potter journey in an accessible way for all ages,” producer James Seabright told Forbes. Creators Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner “created the show with lots of visual gags and silliness for children, but also for grownups with word plays and jokes that will just go over the kids’ heads.”
According to the venue’s website, guests are required to wear an appropriate face covering while inside the building, regardless of vaccination status. Face shields and bandannas are not allowed in lieu of masks. All staff are fully vaccinated and will be wearing face coverings.
‘Potted Potter — The Unauthorized Harry Experience’
When:7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, Oct 28-30.
Where: Madison Center for the Arts, 5601 N. 16th St., Phoenix.
Harry Potterfans will be delighted that more new content from the magical universe is forthcoming in the form of a prequel focussing on Severus Snape.
For now, few details are known about the project but it is being created by Warner Bros and will air on HBO Max. There’s no information yet about the release date or even the plot, beyond the fact that Snape will be one of the main protagonists.
It is also reported by ‘We got this covered’ that Hermione will be feature heavily in the series and could perhaps even get her own show.
The backstories of these characters offers a goldmine of opportunities for the writers and producers. Potterheads should stay on the lookout for further updates on these developments as they happen.
Arguably one of their biggest events of the year, Madison Social and Township held their annual Harry Potter bar crawl on Feb. 5.
Initially, Madison Social started hosting Harry Potter trivia nights back in 2014, and once they realized how large the turnout was, they knew they could host an event even larger. Thus, the Muggle Shuffle was born.
The bar crawl was first introduced back in 2016 and has been an annual tradition ever since.
“The event originally started back in 2016 as part of the Tallahassee Brew District that we created with Proof, GrassLands, Brass Tap and ourselves at Madison Social and Township,” said the bars’ director of Marketing, Eric Pounders. “After the Brew District dissolved, we decided to keep it going knowing that it had become an event people looked forward to every year.”
Pounders has been a part of the For The Table Hospitality group, owners of Township and Madison Social, for over seven years. Within his position, he has his fair share of experience with the Muggle Shuffle.
“The best part of the event is seeing the various costumes and outfits people wear at the event,” said Pounders. “You can see how much this series means to them and the excitement on their faces at check in makes all the stress worth it.”
Indeed, people are extravagant with their costumes. Many attendees dressed in wizard cloaks holding wands. Not only this, but attendees also get very passionate about their select Harry Potter house (myself included).
What makes the Muggle Shuffle so unique is that it is truly a bang-for-your-buck. This year, an event ticket was $30 which included four drinks, a house shot and a house T-shirt of your choosing. The check-in was at 6 p.m., and ended at 9 p.m. By 6:30, there was a line of “Muggles” wrapped around Township, waiting to start their Harry Potter journey.
At the entrance of Township, employees were checking in attendees, dividing them into sections based on their house of either Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff or Slytherin. The distribution of merchandise sets it apart from other bar crawls, but ultimately adds more stress onto the Township team.
“With four different shirts for the four different houses, it can be quite the ordeal of organizing the order, working with our vendor to give us the most amount of time to sell before having to put in the order to get the shirts in before the event begins,” said Pounders.
Despite the chaos, the Township and Madison Social staff are still in charge of crafting the signature Harry Potter house drinks, a task that has proven to be enjoyable. In order to concoct these specialties, the team looks toward the books and films for inspiration, using iconic names, scenes and places from the series to create a tasty cocktail. Each drink contained a different liquor, guaranteeing that the attendees weren’t bored by the selection.
Butterbeer was curated for Ravenclaws, made with rum, butterscotch liqueur, cream soda and Shiner Bock. Dragon’s Breath, a combination of Fireball and Ciderboys Apple Cider, was designated for Slytherins. Godric’s Gin Fizz, made of gin, pomegranate juice, orange zest, lemon and Fresca, was a specialty for the Gryffindors. For the Hufflepuffs, a Half-and-Half with Jameson Orange, fresh lemon, lemonade and sweet tea.
Both bars played different Harry Potter films throughout the night and had decorations scattered so attendees could truly immerse themselves into the Hogwarts universe. With the event being such a success yet again, we hope the tradition continues and more bars participate next year.
I know it makes me a traitor to my own millennial generation, but I have to admit: I have never read a Harry Potter book. I do not like Harry Potter. I haven’t purchased or Google-searched anything Harry Potter-related, and I certainly have never “liked” anything about Harry Potter on Facebook. So why does Facebook think otherwise?
This has been the question on my mind for months as I scroll through my hollowed out Facebook News Feed. Usually only filled with posts from my parents’ friends and perfectly targeted ads, it now frequently “suggests” content from an alarming number of Harry Potter fan and meme groups.
The posts are a bizarre collection of viral memes remade with Harry Potter characters, posts about the actors who play characters in Harry Potter movies, memes based on Harry Potter movie scenes, and just pure fandom posts about how great Harry Potter is.
Maybe it was the bad memes that grabbed my attention, or the groups’ cringe Potter-themed names – “The Ministry Of Magic,” “Everything HP Universe” “Hogwarts Great Hall” – but whatever it was, I just knew I wanted it to stop.
With a basic understanding of how algorithms and cookies and other internet things work, I thought it would be a simple fix. I went to my News Feed preferences, where an option to “unfollow” groups is given. Yep, exactly what I was looking for.
But no. Facebook only presented me with the option of unfollowing groups that I willingly followed. There was nothing Harry Potter to unfollow.
I looked for an “I don’t want to see this” or “why am I seeing this?” option on the drop-down menu of meme groups in my feed, but those were not options either. The only option was to “hide” or “snooze” posts from that specific group.
So I began “hiding all.” Goodbye, “Seriously Serious Black.” So long, “Society for the Promotion of a Harry Potter TV Series.” I hoped this would inform the algorithm of my preferences and the other groups would disappear. I gave it several weeks. Nothing changed. Even worse, new Harry Potter groups seemed to fill the void of groups I blocked.
I checked all my options in Facebook settings but found nothing helpful. I reached out to media contacts at Facebook and was handed off to a communications team member who specifically handles groups. After exchanging emails for a week, all this team member came up with was what I had already tried.
“To learn more about content that’s showing up in your Feed, you can click on the three dots on the upper right-hand corner of the post and then click on ‘Why am I seeing this,’” the comms person suggested. I reiterated that I had already tried this and that there is in fact no “Why am I seeing this,” option available on these posts, and she told me would check with the team again.
I could generate a “Why am I seeing this,” option on other types of posts in my feed. Facebook would tell me I’m seeing a certain ad because of my age or other sponsored posts because of my geographic location, but never an explanation for what about my demographics suggests I’m interested in Professor McGonagall content.
At this point, it was more than just about getting the memes to stop, although I wanted that too, I really wanted to know why this was happening and why Facebook couldn’t give me an explanation. I turned to Facebook experts. One was former Facebook employee Antonio García Martínez, who specified that he had worked on the ads team at Facebook, not on their growth team, where he believes this problem lies.
After I explained my plight and he confirmed what I had recently learned about Facebook communications — that they are “famously bad” — Martínez offered two possible explanations for why Facebook was mistaking me for a Harry Potter fangirl.
The first is that Facebook is making recommendations for me based on content that my “friends” have liked or engaged with. “It’s very possible that unbeknownst to you, maybe in a closeted format, you have lots of closet Harry Potter friends who are super into Harry Potter,” Martínez suggested. So in the same way that Netflix recommends movies based on the movies I’ve watched that other people have also watched, Facebook is recommending content based on what people similar to me like.
I explained that besides logging in and scrolling, I’m not really an active Facebook user. I don’t make friend requests, write posts, share photos, comment or engage with posts, or even use Facebook messenger, which leads to the second possibility Martínez and another expert I spoke with floated.
“Maybe they have very little data and they are basically overfitting you based on what little data they have,” Martínez said.
But if Facebook is just making a wild guess about my interests based on my age and other demographics, whyHarry Potter? And why memes? Why not “The Office” or “Grey’s Anatomy”? Why is it so frequently and consistently Harry Potter? And again, is there no option to make it stop?
Both experts were not sure it was possible.
“You can block individual pages and people, but you can’t really opt out of the ‘don’t show me sh-t related to this,’” Martínez said.
Of course, I’m not the first person to encounter unwanted content on her news feed. A Washington Post column by Gillian Brockell went viral in 2018 when she wrote about the trauma she faced every time she was fed a pregnancy ad after delivering a stillborn baby.
In November, Meta (Facebook’s new company name) announced they would be removing advertisers’ ability to target users based on “sensitive” categories like health, religion, sex, and thousands of other topics. Unwanted ads are clearly a problem, and exactly why Facebook gives users the “Why am I seeing this?” button on ads, but what about on the unwanted “suggested topics,” that were plaguing my feed?
After exhausting all the scenarios, it seems I have only two options, and neither is practical nor enticing. The first is to get new friends, even though I doubt any of my current ones are closeted Harry Potter super fans.
The second is to start engaging and interacting with Facebook more so the algorithm can gather the data it needs to more accurately reflect my interests. I don’t want to do that, and don’t plan on it, especially now that I realize perhaps that was their plan all along.
