Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

• Genre: Fiction; fantasy drama
• Originally Published: 2016
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 500L; grades 6-12
• Structure/Length: 2 parts; 4 acts; 75 scenes; approx. 336 pages; approx. 3 hours, 30 minutes of running time
• Protagonist/Central Conflict: Albus Severus Potter, the son of Harry Potter, struggles to escape the shadow of his famous father and faces dangerous consequences when he attempts to rectify one of Harry’s past mistakes. Alternating between Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and the adult world Harry Potter now inhabits, the story explores the impact of friendship, loyalty, family, and fame.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Danger; death and loss; sexual and gender identity

Jack Thorne, Author

• Bio: Born 1978; British playwright, producer, and screenwriter; known for his work on Skins, His Dark Materials, and Enola Holmes
• Other Works: Mydidae (2012); Let the Right One In (2013); Hope (2014); The End of History (2019)

J. K. Rowling, Author

• Bio: Born 1965; graduated from Exeter University; worked at Amnesty International; wrote her first book at a café while on welfare; created the Harry Potter series, which became a global phenomenon; established the Volant Charitable Trust and Lumos charities
• Other Works: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (1997); Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (1998); Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999); Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2000); Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2003); Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2005); Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007); The Casual Vacancy (2012); The Cuckoo’s Calling (2013); The Silkworm (2014); Career of Evil (2015); Lethal White (2018); Troubled Blood (2020)

John Tiffany, Director

• Bio: Born 1971; English theater director; known for his work in theater and opera; winner of multiple awards, including a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play (for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child)
• Other Works Directed: Once (2011); The Glass Menagerie (2013); The Ambassador (2015); Pinocchio (2017)

Awards: Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play (2017); Critics’ Circle Theatre Award for Best Designer (2017); Tony Award for Best Play (2018); Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music in a Play (2018)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• The Impact of Fame and Legacy on the Parent-Child Relationship
• The Role of Friendship in Overcoming Crises
• The Interaction of Destiny and Free Will in Influencing History

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Gain an understanding of the elements of dramatic structure and how traditional narratives can be adapted into drama.
• Analyze paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the text’s themes of The Impact of Fame and Legacy on the Parent-Child Relationship and The Interaction of Destiny and Free Will in Influencing History.
• Plan, design, and construct a dramaturgical presentation on elements of production using visual aids to communicate clearly and effectively.
• Examine and appraise the authors’ purpose and techniques to draw conclusions in structured essay responses regarding dramatic structure, characterization, literary devices, and other topics.