The premise for Potted Potter is a little daunting: two actors performing all seven Harry Potter books… in 70 minutes. But co-creator, writer, and actor Dan Clarkson chooses to focus on the positive.
“We get to be wizards for 70 minutes a day,” Clarkson says. “So it’s, you know, fun.”
Potted Potter has run for almost 13 years, and the team behind it has stayed relatively consistent, presenting the challenges of keeping the show fresh and harmonious for everyone involved.
“Well, we do literally all want to kill each other now with wands,” Clarkson jokes. “But I would say there is a lot of improvisation in the show as well. Especially when we play a live game of quidditch with the entire audience, where we get people up on stage to be seekers, and you can’t predict what an audience member is gonna do. Especially [when] you get kids up—you can’t predict what’s going to come out of a kid’s mind, so a lot of that is always different.”
Clarkson also adds ever-changing pop-culture references to help keep the show fresh. Whether it’s a shout-out to a local sports team or politician, or updating jokes to include the latest fads, relevant references are something Potted Potter strives for.
“I think when we started we had Rihanna’s song ‘Umbrella’ in it,” Clarkson says. “And if we did that now everyone would look at us blankly, wondering what we’re doing.”
If you’re like me and panicking over the prospect of audience participation, don’t worry: Clarkson doesn’t look for the most uncomfortable person to haul on stage.
“At the very start of the show, we come out and we’re shaking hands with the audience and chatting to them. And that is, literally, where I decide who is going to be in the show, who could be a good volunteer, which sort of adult I could refer to as, you know, Dumbledore,” he says. “So if you wanted to be in the show, when we’re talking to you at the start, if you’re just very chatty and a lot of fun, chances are we’ll remember where you’re sitting.”
Clarkson admits that this vetting process isn’t completely foolproof, because you never know how someone’s going to react until they actually get on stage.
“We’ve had a mix of all sorts of ones,” he says, “especially with the kids. We’ve had ones that as soon as the light hits them, they’re like a rabbit in the headlights. Then we’ve had ones when the lights hit them, that’s it—this is their moment, they go for it, and they do not care who else is on the stage. You watch their parents sink down into their seats going, ‘This isn’t my child, I’m really sorry.’”
The spontaneity adds to the enjoyment for everyone involved. And no worries if you’ve never read the Harry Potter books. The people behind Potted Potter know you exist and want to include you.
“Believe it or not, there are some people in the world who have not read Harry Potter,” says Clarkson. “I’ve never met one, but I hear they exist, and this is a great way for them to get into it. It sort of introduces the books to them, the characters to them.”
And being a part of that is something in which Clarkson finds a lot of joy.
“We had a dad who took his two kids, who actually came up and thanked us afterward because he now felt he could bond with his daughters,” says Clarkson, “and he wouldn’t keep telling them off because he thought ‘snitch’ was a curse word.”
Potted Potter
Various times, Wednesday, October 3 to Monday, October 8
Various prices, McPherson Playhouse
pottedpotter.com