Actor Torsten Johnson is not sure which house in the “Harry Potter” universe he would join. Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Slytherin? He really couldn’t say.

“I’ve always felt like I need the Sorting Hat to make decisions,” Johnson said. It’s “the magical creature that you can have a conversation with. Until I put the hat on, I can’t tell you.”

Johnson, who was born in California and raised in Madison, has the opportunity to delve deeper into the wizarding world this summer as he prepares to tour with the ensemble cast of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.”

Tickets for the production, which premieres in Chicago on September 10 and runs at the James M. Nederlander Theatre through February 1, 2025, are on sale now.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was written by Jack Thorne and first performed in two parts in London’s West End in 2016. It takes place almost 20 years after Harry, Hermione and Ron left Hogwarts. Their children are the next generation of witches and wizards.

Johnson’s acting resume includes a summer as an apprentice in 2012 at the American Players Theatre, where he appeared in The Royal Family, Twelfth Night, and Troilus and Cressida.

On television, he appeared in episodes of “Succession,” “City on Fire,” and “Dr. Death.” In the Hallmark movie “A Holiday Spectacular,” he played the main character’s superficial high-society boyfriend, Maxwell.

Johnson was almost in the middle of rehearsals for “Cursed Child” in New York when The Cap Times reached him by phone. This interview has been condensed for length and clarity.

Tell me how you got into theater. You grew up in Madison, right?

Yes, I did. I spent my entire childhood in Madison, and then after I graduated from drama school (at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan), I went to school in Minneapolis. Then I worked in regional theater for a long time. I worked several times in Wisconsin and a lot in Ohio and Minnesota.

It was 2017 when I moved to New York. (During the COVID closures) I went back to Wisconsin for an extended period of time and came back for auditions. I commuted back and forth for a year and a half.

Carrie Coon, one of APT’s most famous expats, said her time with the classical troupe had a big impact on her performance. Do you think that’s true?

Absolutely. I grew up watching APT, so I think my fundamental love of theater is due to that classic, actor-centered (style)…really showcasing the actors as the heart of the show.

What I loved about APT was that all of these actors value lifelong learning. There’s a very vibrant community here in New York, too. When I audition, I see the same actors from Chicago and from APT. It’s remarkable to be in this cast with people like Nathan Hosner (a former APT colleague). John Skelley, who plays Harry Potter, went through the same college program as me and is also from the Midwest.

There just seems to be a strong connection between classical theatre and Harry Potter – high-quality acting and epic proportions.

How did you experience the world of Harry Potter before this show?

I grew up with the books. I think I was 8 or 9 when the first one came out in the US. My aunt gave it to me. I remember being in my room and being so engrossed in it that my brother would try to get me out to play and I wouldn’t leave my room.

Which characters do you play in “Cursed child?”

At the beginning I am one of the teachers. My character is called Mazoni, is very Italian and appears again and again throughout the play.

Once we leave Hogwarts and go on the adventure, I play all sorts of people in the ensemble. I’m often swinging my cape. The “cape photography” is one of the really remarkable things about this show. What I like about it is that it’s tangible and real, just like us. We learn how to use capes to create this wild, magical world.

I haveHear about the special effects. How do the actors work with them?

This show is really good at doing a lot of different styles at once. We do stunts, things that I have to learn physically, really challenging stuff.

Then there’s the whole world of illusions. Some of them are larger than life. Other illusions are so subtle that you’re just baffled and don’t know what’s happening. It’s this great fusion of theatrical magic and illusion.

I loved those books when I was younger, and JK Rowling’s horrific anti-trans rhetoric complicated and corrupted that for me. How do you create separation for yourself while working on this show?

That’s a good question – a difficult question. I think one of the really important and helpful things for me is that the story of Harry Potter and that world now lives independently of the author. I’m happy to be part of that world and the story that meant a lot to me as a child. I think that’s going to have a big impact on a lot of people who see it.

To me, it stands alone. It lives in our collective imagination, just like art and stories do. Once we have them, they no longer belong to anyone.