Everybody has heard of “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” the new “Harry Potter” Prequel starring Oscar award winner Eddie Redmayne, but in its shadows lie a new “Harry Potter” play, which will be the eighth story in the well known book series.

Written by J.K Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” takes place 19 years after the last “Harry Potter” book, and focuses on Potter’s job as a hardworking employee of the Ministry of Magic. It also centers on one of Potter’s three children, Albus, and his struggle with unwanted fame and fortune through Hogwarts.

Rumoured to be a prequel, Rowling officially informed the public about the play with a tweet on Oct. 23.

So now you know it really isn’t a prequel: Harry Potter & the #CursedChild starts #19yearslater! Go to @HPPlayLDN for more information.

What do “Harry Potter” fanatics, or “Potterheads,” at Hockaday have to say about this play? The Fourcast went around campus to find out.

“[Rowling] should have ended it with the last book and [the last movie]. I think no matter what her intentions were, whether she wanted to keep fans happy or to make more money, it’s possible the play could end up really bad and ruin the entire [Harry Potter] legacy,” sophomore Sarah-Kate Feferman said, 

Senior Anne-Marie Gingery, wearing a “Harry Otter” shirt with the graphic of an otter dressed as “Harry Potter” on it, said, “I haven’t even heard of this. I don’t see the hype over Harry Potter at all. It’s just overrated — there’s nothing special with wizard and witches. The real magic lies in learning.”

Deviating from intellectual deepness, freshmen Isabella Yepez and Carolina Stewart have some advice for Rowling:

“I’m excited for it; as long as she doesn’t exaggerate the situation,” Yepez said. Chiming in, Stewart said, “Me too. I want there to be as less drama as possible. I really just want to see Harry’s kids’ daily lives at Hogwarts.”

Sophomore Kaitlen Cerney believes that it’s a nice treat for “Harry Potter” fans from the author herself.

“When a book series ends, the fans always want more, and because there are so many parody musicals, it’s great that we’re getting something directly from J.K. Rowling.”

As a fan that wants more, senior Olivia Stern said, “It’s really exciting because I thought that I wouldn’t get another Harry Potter thing to watch, and now we get a [movie and a play].”

Junior Vyanka Sotelo has “never seen any of the movies or the books,” but when asked if she would give the play a chance, she said, “I went to Harry Potter World and the rides were sick, so why not?”

Agreeing with Sotelo, junior Addie Walker said, “Harry Potter World won me over. I still haven’t seen any of the movies, but after drinking butterbeer I made a vow to watch any Harry Potter-related thing given the opportunity.”

It looks like the play will be getting more attendance from people other than the regular potterheads.

The play will premiere on July 20, 2016 at the Palace Theater in London. It will be split up into parts one and two which can be viewed on consecutive nights or on the same day.

Read more about the play here: http://www.harrypottertheplay.com/

Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/HPPlayLD

Cheryl Hao – Asst. Castoff Editor