From wands to invisibility cloaks, the magic of Hogwarts has become a household name, captivating families for decades.
Sunnyslope will get a taste of this very magic when Junior Dani Shillington puts on the yellow emblazoned Hufflepuff robe and stuns audiences with her portrayal of Megan in the Fall play, Puffs.
Landing the lead role came as a welcome surprise.
“I was alone in my room on Monday when my friend texted me saying she [the theater teacher] posted the cast list, and I opened it up and I shrieked a squeal of just pure delight. I was so happy,” said Shillington.
Going into auditions, Shillington had a completely different character in mind.
“We were only going to do two monologues and a few blurbs at auditions and so I decided to read for Leanne, but, in callbacks, Ms. Mcdonald had me read for Megan and I ended up enjoying it a lot,” said Shillington.
Shillington attributes her growth as an actress to Sunnyslope’s theater program.
“The majority of the work that I’ve done and the progress I’ve made has come from the rigor and attentiveness in the theater program,” said Shillington.
Her hard work did not go unnoticed.
“She’s just a really talented natural actress and I’m excited to work with her to change up and best portray the character,” said Theater Director Madeline McDonald.
The theater community at Sunnyslope allowed her to further her love of acting.
“I feel like a lot of people really put their souls into the theater and that’s super cool to me,” said Shillington.
While the Sunnyslope community certainly helped her love of theater grow, the love started back in 6th grade.
“I took theater in 6th grade and I fell in love with the way it allowed me to express myself in such a diverse way and the ability to have an audience listening to you,” said Shillington.
The role of Megan demands a wide range of emotion- something Macdonald thinks perfectly suits Shillington.
“Dani fits the funny type of the character and she’s really good at portraying scenes where the character might be moody or sad which Megan does a lot,” said MacDonald.
Macdonald also noted Shillington’s growth as an actress from her freshman year, when she was in The Pajama Game, to junior year where she now stars in Puffs.
“She’s grown as a person inside and outside of the theater program and that’s always great to see. It’s been great seeing her mature as an actress and develop friendships through theater,” said Macdonald.
Shillington has high hopes for the play and expects it to be a hit.
“I’m very hopeful and confident about the show because we have a really great cast and crew that I know to be responsible and driven,” said Shillington.