Por DAVID DIXON | Mensajero de La Mesa<\/p>\n
There is no shortage of \u201cHarry Potter\u201d fans in San Diego County. However, very few have had the opportunity to be involved with shows that pay homage to, or are inspired by, J.K. Rowling\u2019s popular series.<\/p>\n
One of those fans is La Mesa resident Kevin Patrick Lohmann, and he\u2019s currently starring in the comedy \u201cPuffs, Or: Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic.\u201d The production is the inaugural staging from the semi-professional theater company, The Eastern, in association with Powpac, Poway\u2019s Community Theatre.<\/p>\n
Lohmann didn\u2019t always plan to become an actor. For a senior project at Helix Charter High School, however, he decided to direct and write a short film, while his friend directed a play. They agreed to help each other out in their respective projects.<\/p>\n
\u201cI auditioned for his production of \u2018Ten Little Indians,\u2019 and I told him to give me the smallest part,\u201d he said. \u201cHe ended up casting me in the biggest part, and I fell in love with acting.\u201d<\/p>\n
After studying acting in college and performing in various plays, Lohmann took a five-year break from the theater. After hearing about auditions for \u201cPuffs,\u201d however, he decided to audition for the show.<\/p>\n
\u201cI spoke with my wife about it, and we both felt like it was the one play that I couldn\u2019t pass up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
When he was younger, Lohmann was more invested in the \u201cHarry Potter\u201d movies than the books. This changed in college, where Lohmann gravitated towards, and made friends with, others who loved the series. His enjoyment of Rowling\u2019s work grew, and the franchise made a positive impact on his life.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt provided me, and a lot of people in my generation, with a way to view the world,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
As a result, the actor started a YouTube channel devoted to the books. Owing to the time involved in starring in \u201cPuffs,\u201d however, this endeavor is currently on a hiatus, but he plans on launching a fourth season of a \u201cHarry Potter\u201d book club on the channel.<\/p>\n
The play tells an original story. Lohmann plays the American boy Wayne Hopkins who, after finding out that he\u2019s a wizard, goes to London to begin classes at the legendary School of Magic and Magic. Of the four school houses that students are placed into, Wayne is chosen to be a Puff. Along with his new housemates and friends Oliver (Kevin Phan) and Megan (Sterling Amara), Wayne hopes to make an impact on the world.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, the students in the Puff house are underdogs and generally unpopular.<\/p>\n
Given this, an aspect about Wayne that Lohmann really appreciates is the confidence that the character maintains throughout the script.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love that he believes in himself and that he\u2019s special,\u201d he says. \u201cWayne takes his knocks along the way, but he always finds ways to keep training and believing that he\u2019s at the center of the tale being told.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lohmann has had ties to La Mesa for most of his life. Although he grew up in Lemon Grove, his high school education was in this part of the county.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t where my house was, but it was my home,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
After Lohmann and his wife returned to the county, they moved to La Mesa when he started to study for his Master\u2019s degree in 2013.<\/p>\n
The star of the show lives around the Lake Murray area of the city, and he loves walking around the reservoir. Other favorite activities include eating Mexican food at El Azteca Taco Shop and spending time with his daughter at one of the local parks.<\/p>\n
\u201cPuffs\u201d isn\u2019t the only thing that Lohmann has been working on in the theater world. He is currently working as the associate director of marketing at the San Diego Repertory Theatre.<\/p>\n
Lohmann wouldn\u2019t want to be involved in future acting roles if they get too much in the way of his work or the time spent with his family. Still, he hopes to be a part of other shows when he feels he can make the time to perform.<\/p>\n
While Matt Cox\u2019s script is a comedy, Lohmann loves the underlying theme of the plot.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis play is really for people who don\u2019t feel like they are the main character in their own story,\u201d he said. \u201cI think they\u2019ll realize that feeling isn\u2019t always true.\u201d<\/p>\n