behind the scenes

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child First Day of Rehearsal

Sarah Afful (Hermione Granger), Trevor White (Harry Potter) and Gregory Prest (Ron Weasley). Photo © Cylla von Tiedemann
harry potter production shot

FIRST LOOK WITH CURSED CHILD CAST

April 29, 2022 - For a month now, the cast of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child have been rehearsing in studios just a block away from the CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre. It was time they got to see what would be their creative and work home as of the first week of May, when rehearsals will move to the theatre.

On April 27, just after their lunch break, the entire cast of 35 finally had a short visit to the theatre. David Mirvish was there to welcome them and show them the newly remodelled and Hogwart-ized CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre. Watch this preview video to see the cast’s reactions and to get a sneak peek at the revisions.

“Welcome to Hogwarts!”

April 4, 2022 - With those words, associate director Pip Minnithorpe welcomed the cast of 35, and members of the creative team and crew, to the first rehearsal of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Monday.

“I’m super excited to be bringing the play to Canadian audiences that they were promised three years ago,” said Minnithorpe.

Creating the Canadian production of Harry Potter is a mammoth project that involves hundreds of people on three continents. From the 500+ costumes to the custom-made special effects and illusions, every aspect of the production is a labour of love.

As an example of this show’s size and scope, while most theatre shows rehearse for four weeks Harry Potter has a rehearsal period of eight weeks. And every moment of the show’s creation promises to be filled with wonder and excitement for the army of artists and technicians working on it.

You could certainly feel that in the meet-and-greet that began the rehearsal period. Why?

As renowned actor Fiona Reid, who plays Professor McGonagall in the show, explained to the Toronto Star, she is "excited by the prospect of this being the first live theatre experience for audience members coming out of the pandemic. 'We’re going to make this show safe, and we’re going to make it the most safe for the audience so that it can be the most wonderful, electrifying experience for them,' she said. 'We have to come together again. I think we’re all a little starved and we need to feed our souls again.’ “

Check out the video capturing the excitement of the first day of rehearsal. There are also photos and links to the many TV news stories that were broadcast about the start of rehearsals.

Toronto cast and crew venture to Hogwarts for the first rehearsal of ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’

“I love this world,” says Luke Kimball, who plays Albus Potter. “Cursed Child” “takes a skill set unlike anything I’ve done,” says Fiona Reid, who plays Professor McGonagall and Dolores Umbridge.

By Karen Fricker, Theatre Critic
Toronto Star • Monday April 4, 2022

“Welcome to Hogwarts!”

With those words, associate director Pip Minnithorpe welcomed the cast of 35, and members of the creative team and crew, to the first rehearsal of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” in Toronto.

“I’m super excited to be bringing the play to Canadian audiences that they were promised three years ago,” said Minnithorpe. The show begins performances May 31 at the CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre, rescheduled from its pandemic-postponed October 2020 opening. Read Karen Fricker’s complete article about the first day of rehearsal on the Toronto Star website.

PRESS COVERAGE

Harry Potter cookies

BWW

with Rachael McCaig

City TV

City TV

with Stella Acquisto

CTV

CTV

with Andria Case

Trevor White on Global news

Global News

with Melanie Zettler

Behind the magic: A look at the costumes for ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’

Toronto Star's Richard Lautens got a chance to see how performers would look in their respective roles.