• By MuggleNet Editorial Staff
• 29 May, 2026
• Cursed Child

An illustrated feature from The New York Times captured the community outside Broadway’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: fans dressed in Slytherin green, waiting at the stage door for Tom Felton, who returned last year to the role of Draco Malfoy. To people passing by, it might look like any other stage door of a show with a big name attached, but for longtime fans, these events are about finding each other as much as they are about seeing the show.

Laura and Sabrina, who traveled from Nova Scotia, told the Times, “We met through mutual friends and bonded over our love of Harry Potter.” Ynadis from Virginia said “I’ve read all the books, minimum three to four times each.” These feelings are something many of us know well, the rest of the world fades away for a day or an evening and we have our House colors, favorite memories and moments where years of rereads become a fast path to new friendships.

Felton’s Broadway run has added another gathering point for the fandom. He is the first original Harry Potter film actor to join the stage production, and his run as Draco has been extended through Nov. 1, 2026. The stage door moment fits into a larger tradition of fans gathering together, from theater lobbies to Back to Hogwarts celebrations (RIP to the King’s Cross gatherings, crowded as they were), to events like the drone show world tour or even simply finding each other on Tumblr or TikTok or AO3. 

For many of us, the stage door is just the latest gathering place. The books, films and stage play have always given people a reason to start talking and form new friendships. Outside the Lyric Theatre, that connection just happens to come with Draco signs and the hope of catching Felton for a hello.