By Faith Jarrell
Student Life Editor
The cast and crew of an upcoming production of “The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical” were asked to return to campus a week before classes started for a team retreat. The show is a lighting senior capstone experience produced by senior Matthew Brader for his theatre thesis.
While many students returned to campus on the weekend of Saturday, Jan. 20, those working on the musical returned on Wednesday, Jan. 17.
“It was fun. We all chilled, we had dinner, we watched [the] Percy Jackson [series], we played with play-doh… it was really fun,” freshman Jasmine Schaeffer, who is playing Grover, said. “We just bonded as a cast.”
Director Abbey Wark ‘18, who is also the production manager for the Daniel Z. Gibson Center for the Arts, compared the cast and crew of the musical to an “athletic team.”
“The stronger the team understands and trusts each other, the more effectively we’ll be able to work together to create an amazing show. Collaboration is a vital part of being a successful theatre artist. The foundation of trust and community we established early on will allow everyone to dig deeper into their roles and try new things as we figure out what is the right solution to each aspect of the story we are telling,” Wark said.
Currently, those working on the musical attend rehearsal several times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. According to Wark, the cast rehearses twice a week with music director J. Ernest Green and three to four times a week with Wark and choreographer Renee Gerardo.
“It’s a lot of fun. The whole board of technical directors, cast, and crew in it are really fun. It was a blast to show up early and [seeing] the snow on campus helped too,” freshman Josh Isemingner, who plays multiple secondary roles, said.
The production is still in its early stages, with designers finishing final designs and the cast still evaluating scenes. Those working on the production seem to be enjoying it, including freshman Kaitlyn Mankevich, who plays female lead Annabeth Chase.
“I think it’s just because I’m a music nerd and also because I’ve listened to the soundtrack so much, I just truly enjoy singing the songs and practicing with everyone,” Mankevich said. “Because everyone is great at what they do, they should be there.”
The musical is set to show on Thursday, April 4, Friday, April 5, and Saturday, April 6 in Decker Theatre.
Photo by Olivia Long
Photo Caption: The cast and crew of “The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical” pictured during one of their rehearsals.