Director’s Note

Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief hit bookshelves in 2006 and became an instant classic. Filled with adventure, magical creatures, and absent parents, this first installation in an epic series follows Percy as he tries to stop a war between the Olympian gods. Many of our students grew up on these books, and the recent Disney television adaptation demonstrates the soaring popularity of this story. 

Those lofty reasons drew us to this musical, but it was the way our students connected to Percy’s neurodivergence and familial challenges that cinched this choice for us. Percy might have magical gifts from his godly parent, but his daily life is hampered by dyslexia and ADHD. Having never known who his father is, and saddled with an abusive (and offensive smelling) stepdad, Percy seeks belonging. He struggles in school, and can’t seem to ever get it right. He wants to believe he’s a good kid, but circumstances keep suggesting otherwise. Percy’s isolation and loneliness take on new significance for students surviving COVID and lockdowns. 

These are just some of the layers of connection between Percy’s story and this contemporary moment. The success of Percy’s quest requires collaboration with friends, each of whom possess special gifts. Resolving this conflict among the gods requires an army of individuals, messy and imperfect, but with weapons both physical and symbolic. In this current moment of rising fascism, this emphasis on individuality and resistance seems like what we need. 

We also need to play more. To sing and dance, to swing swords (and battle axes and spears) and rule at capture the flag and talk to squirrels. We’re living through a serious time, and that’s all the more reason to focus on singing by campfires, the pleasures of games, and eating blue food. 

I hope as you experience this show that you think about your own childhood, that you connect with parts of yourself you’ve neglected, and that you laugh with new and old friends. Have a great quest–bring on the monsters! 

-Lindsey Mantoan, Director

Review in the Linfield Review