‘Rememberall’ reflects on growing up in the age of ‘Harry Potter’

UHCL Storytellers’ performance “Rememberall” explored the idea of growing up and recalling past memories through the lens of “Harry Potter.” The show took place in the Bayou Theater April 19 and 20.

The performance was under the direction of Andrea Baldwin, lecturer in communication, and Assistant Director Christos Patelis, marketing major. The production was student-written and performed.

“We had a writers’ room, and they all wrote from their personal experiences,” said actor Andy Robb, art major. “I wasn’t a writer. I’m just a performer, so these weren’t necessarily my words.”

The show’s name is a play on the Remembrall from “Harry Potter.” The Remembrall is a large glass sphere containing smoke that turns red when its owner has forgotten something. Once what was forgotten is remembered, the sphere turns clear once again.

Each scene of the show was based on different artifacts from the “Harry Potter” series, like the Remembrall.

Other artifacts used in the show include the Mirror of Erised, a magical mirror that reveals the deepest desires of the viewer’s heart; the Time-Turner, a time-traveling device; and a howler, an angry magic letter that reads the message in the writer’s voice loudly. Each scene illustrated how the memories of the writers and actors were influenced by the “Harry Potter” series, highlighted by those key artifacts.

Actor and writer Natalie Garcia, environmental management major, first heard about Baldwin’s idea for the show at a communication conference in Dallas.

“I remember being with Dr. Baldwin for the National Communication Association Convention and listening to her talk, or rather enthuse, about her recent experience with the ‘Harry Potter’ books,” Garcia said. “We met as a group a month or so later, and she went more in depth with the concept of the show and was very clear it was going to be about how we grow and grow up.”

Although the show was centered around the “Harry Potter” series, prior knowledge of the series was not needed to gain a deeper meaning from the performance.

“You didn’t have to know ‘Harry Potter’ to get something from the show,” said Marybeth Goundry, computer engineering major. “Along with the things that they were saying, the actions that they had all just kind of worked together to bring it past that.”

Angela Ross, an audience member and parent, recalled the characters that were popular when she was a kid.

“I remember Luke Skywalker and how invincible we thought we were at that time,” Ross said. “It makes me think about what I need to do now to keep some of that going.”

Other audience members were moved on an emotional level.

“At some parts, I almost got emotional because I did relate to it, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, that’s me,’” said Samantha Rabago-Guarjardo, education major.

Robb hoped that the audience would leave with a sense that “Harry Potter” was more than a book read as a child.

“It carries a lot of life lessons and values that you can take with you throughout the rest of your life,” Robb said.

The UHCL Storytellers worked long hours in preparation for the show. Garcia said her favorite part of the experience was meeting and working with everyone involved.

“I have to give my thanks to Dr. Baldwin,” Garcia said. “She does such an incredible job of getting people together to collaborate and create. She dedicates so much of her time to share the magic of performance with us, and I am forever grateful for all she does. I see what she is trying to do here on this campus, and I hope performance will always have a space here at UHCL.”

Click here to take the quiz on “Harry Potter” magical artifacts.