Trent’s Anne Shirley Theatre Company (ASTC) is a student-run levy group that has been providing the Peterborough and Trent community with entertainment since 2001. The curtains of Nozhem First Peoples Performance Space opened on their winter production of The Lightning Thief: A Percy Jackson Musical on January 31^st and will close on February 8^th. 

Directed by Samuel Hall, this production made ASTC history by being the first to sell out its entire run before opening night. Carys McDonald who played Clarissa LaRue, Charon, and Echidna said that this achievement “adds to the pride that we all have for this show.”

The musical itself was written and composed by Joe Tracz and Rob Rokicki. Originally released in 2017, the show is an adaptation of the first novel in Rick Riordan’s best-selling fantasy series Percy Jackson and the Olympians—to which the majority of the ASTC cast and crew have a personal connection to. 

I had the privilege of attending a dress rehearsal and interviewing some of the cast on the eve of the show’s opening night. As a long-time fan of the series, I was beyond excited to experience the musical for the first time

Taylor Allen took on the lead role of Percy Jackson, a troubled twelve year-old whose reality is turned to myth when he discovers that his estranged father is actually the Greek god Poseidon. 

Despite having never read the books prior to her casting, Allen delivered an amazing performance as the young demigod.

Allen’s moving rendition of “Good Kid,” was undoubtedly one of my favourite parts of the show, as she was able to perfectly convey the emotion and frustration that Percy was experiencing while grappling with his difficult past and the loss of his mother.

After arriving at Camp Half-Blood—a summer camp for demigods—Percy embarks on a “killer quest” to retrieve Zeus’ lost Master Bolt accompanied by his satyr best friend Grover Underwood (played by Louis Lobmeier), and Annabeth Chase (played by Tory Thibodeau).

Thibodeau’s portrayal of Annabeth, the daughter of Athena, mirrored the character’s quick wit and courage,and her vocal range was truly incredible. 

Similarly, Lobmeier seemed destined to be Grover as their depiction of the satyr captured his loyal and upbeat nature.

“It was really fun to be able to have a character that I could play as a larger version of myself,” Lobmeier told Arthur. “I feel like Grover would be me if my only troubles were squirrels, a camp with swords, and being a half-goat.”

A unique part about the ASTC production was the use of stage combat and weapons which were not included in the original musical. Though cast members started rehearsals with varying degrees of comfort and experience with stage combat, swords, and spears, they all eventually overcame the fear of accidental stabbings and accomplished a performance full of action-packed fights between demigods, Greek gods, and monsters.

More than anything, The Lightning Thief was fun and unpredictable, all of which was felt during “DOA,” which had everything you could want in a musical number: groovy music, dead rock stars, puppets, Mozart, and a three-headed dog DJ.

Ian Eddy’s surfer dude portrayal of Poseidon, which Hall described as “a dolphin in disguise,” was such a creative take on the Sea God, and when mixed with his giddy interaction with Sally Jackson (played by Emily Phillips) made for one of the funniest scenes of the show.

“Campfire Song” featured all of Camp Half-Blood with Eddy as Mr. D, Megan Kelly as Luke, Leighla Foster as Katie Gardner, Tia James as Silena Beauregard, and Blair Waller as Chiron. The beautifully-staged scene followed campers as they bonded over their shared struggles of being the, often neglected, children of Gods, and ended with the group giving a middle finger to the skies. 

Not only did this scene capture the spirit of Camp Half-Blood, but it also reflected the community that the cast had formed during the production—which Hall said was the aspect of the show he’s the most proud of.

“I think that ‘Campfire Song’ is maybe the truest part of the show,” said Kelly. “We’re embodying our characters, but we’re also just having fun with our friends.”

The cast was equally happy to weigh in, sharing their own perspectives on the connections forged by the musical, which were just as heart-warming as you would imagine.

“Large shows offer unique and interesting opportunities, but having such a small cast was so awesome because of the relationships we got to build with each other and our characters,” Waller noted.

“With a show like this with such deep roots of family, it's kind of hard not to become one in a way,” added  Phillips, to which McDonald interjected: 

“Deep roots in found family, which I think we’ve really achieved.”

Needless to say, I was blown away by ASTC’s production of The Lightning Thief: A Percy Jackson Musical, and was equally charmed by the close community that was brought together by the show.