We all know what the heroes were doing, but have you ever wondered what was happening behind the scenes in your favourite stories? Puffs lets you peek into the lives of the lesser-known characters of a certain wizarding school. The play hits the stage at The Q, Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre from 11 to 20 May.

“It’s not the story of that certain boy wizard, it’s not the story of the boy who lived. It’s the story of the Puffs – the story of the outcasts, the misfits and underdogs,” says director, Jordan Best.

Young wizards and witches are sorted into four houses at a prestigious wizarding school. The courageous are sent to the Braves, the sassy to the Snakes and the clever are sent to the Smarts. Which leaves, well, the rest – and they are destined to be the Puffs.

“They’re super loyal and kind and generous and they’re just really desperate to get third place,” smiles Best.

Puffs centres on Wayne and the misfit crew of badger-loving weirdos. The characters include a maths genius, who is struggling with the fact that he isn’t that great at magic, a young witch who was raised by wolves, and an invisible spell caster.

“Goofy, a bit gullible, and with that, Puffs themselves being extremely weird. Everyone is weird in their own individual way,” says actor Nick Dyball.

While the Braves might have the boy who lived, destined to save the wizarding world from a terrifying threat, the Puffs have Wayne. Travelling all the way to attend school in England from Tumbarumba, New South Wales, Wayne is destined to be a hero, maybe.

“He was born on the same day as the Harry that we’ve heard of before and he could be what Harry is. He is an orphan, and he lives with his uncle Dave who is a bit of an alcoholic and doesn’t necessarily look out for Wayne that much, but he is very bright and silly,” says Dyball.

For Dyball, playing Wayne was a way to represent the characters who may have been left out in the original series. The actor says he enjoyed the original series but not the writing. In the background, the audience will see parts of the story they know and love.

“There are characters that you will recognise, not by name, but there are characters. We have a certain potions teacher, Cedric, Mr Voldy features. You will recognise the characters, but they are not perhaps in exactly the way you remember them,” says Best.

Bringing the play to the stage is Echo Youth, of which Best is also the artistic director. She says the cast of 15 actors aged between 13 and 27 have perfectly captured the essence of Puffs.

“It’s 15 actors playing 40 characters, there are a lot of bad wigs and even worse accents, but in the end, it has a really beautiful message: look after people, and friendship is important, and it’s not how the world perceives you, it’s not being the hero of the main story, it’s about being a good and true person,” says Best.

For around 110 minutes, audiences will witness part puppet show, part physical theatre, part drama, with original music and dance numbers in this completely absurd, funny and heartfelt story. While both Best and Dyball wanted to be in the Braves when they first read the books and watched the films, they now wouldn’t want to be anything other than a Puff.

“Everyone has their own strengths and their own place and their own time to be a hero,” says Best.

Visit a somewhat familiar magic world in Puffs at The Q, Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre, 11- 20 May; theq.net.au

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