“The Lightning Thief” will strike you with its impressive set, musical routine, and amazing student cast. It opened on February 16 at 7 p.m. and showed throughout the weekend, finishing with a matinee on February 19 at 3 p.m.

The next year’s production is always chosen by the Theatre Director with consultation and recommendations from students. With the Percy Jackson series being a popular one among students, it is no surprise that lots of students recommended it for this year. 

“A couple of the students brought the musical to my attention. I had not watched it or heard it before; my daughter absolutely loves the books so I listened to it,” said Siouxsie Easter, Upper School Theater Director. “I thought it would be really fun and it is a story that a lot of people know.”

The musical was based on the “The Lightning Thief” book from Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. It follows Percy Jackson (Nic Medaris ‘23) as he discovers that he is a magical half-blood at Camp Half-Blood, where he is given a quest from his godly father, Poseidon (Corbin Harrel ‘25). He goes on the adventure with his friends, Grover (Olivia Kersh ‘24) and Annabeth (Eliana Garcia ‘23). Together, they travel to the Underworld – located in Los Angeles – where they encounter famous musicians Janis Joplin (Leena Keylani ‘24), Kurt Cobain (Brock Bethea ‘23), James Brown (John Flanagan ‘25), and Mozart (Chris Baker ‘23) and learn that Percy was betrayed by Luke (Kate Malonis ‘23) and Ares (Jeremy Henderson ‘23).

“The Theatre department is very welcoming and the musical is a very fun experience. If you’re open to new experiences, it’s a very enjoyable time,” said Maya Marques ‘26. “It’s so rewarding to see the musical come to life on stage, and the energy of the audience fuels that.”

There were 28 members in the cast this year: 18 seniors, three juniors, five sophomores, and two freshmen. Many seniors had never participated in a production until “The Lightning Thief,” deciding to join to experience theater before graduating.

“I went to the fall play, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and had talked to some of the theater kids, so I decided to give it a chance,” said Jeremey Henderson ‘23. “It was one of the best decisions I made this school year.”

“I’m mad at the seniors for not joining when they were underclassmen because they’re really talented and fun to work with,” Easter said. “I think they can probably tell students who haven’t been in a musical before to definitely try it.” 

The entire set and the lighting are put together by the Tech Theater crew, led by Eric Tysinger. Throughout the semester, they work hard to design the stage and when the musical plays, they manage props, lighting, and sound.

“Even though I’m not onstage, I’m so happy to be a part of the production,” Chloe Barker ‘25, a member of the Tech Crew, said.

Around 150-200 people attended the two-hour show each night. Each show had an intermission an hour in for the audience to go and grab some water and a snack bar after the show with treats. The production first opened in a dress rehearsal for teachers and staff on Wednesday, February 15. US students were also given a preview of a couple of scenes during announcements that week.

“It was really entertaining and I know the whole cast worked really hard on it,” said Alyssa Rollings ‘25.

Students were cast in December before winter break and were able to go home with their scripts. They then began rehearsal the first week of January and went through rehearsal all throughout January and February, up until the show – interrupted by the snow week.