Book by Joe Tracz Music and Lyrics by Rob Rokicki
Fall 2021
Director: Ernie Nolan
Stage Manager: Jack Tanzi
Scenic Design: Scott Leathers
Lighting Design: Scott Leathers
Costume Design: William H. Ditty
Projection Designer: Bill Rios
Music Director: David Weinstein
At its core, The Lightning Thief is a story about a boy trying to find his place in the world. Percy Jackson discovers he is the half-blood son of a Greek God and ends up at a summer camp made half-bloods just like him. When Zeus' lightning bolt is stolen, Percy is the prime suspect due to his heritage and must go on a cross country adventure to prove his innocence and stop a war between the Gods.
For this production, it was very inspired by graffiti and paint splatter between all the areas of design. We wanted it to be a mix of both modern and classic styles, almost as a clash between the old Greek Gods and the new half-bloods. This is what drove me to be inspired by "aural graffiti" and explore what that could possibly mean. My design was used to support the show in both creative and structural ways. Some moments were simple sound effects that placed us in a location, and others were used to portray a monster attacking the heroes.
The original Broadway show opens with a strike of thunder, but the director and I wanted to do something different. The story thrusts you into the world of half bloods and greek gods quite abruptly, and we wanted to reflect that everything you have heard in documentaries and in class ended up being true. The show "interrupts" that belief.
The Lightning Thief is full of unique sounds, from the different monsters to Percy's Riptide. One of the big recurring obstacles for the half-bloods was the Furies. I ended up creating a custom sound for the Furies out of a Hawk screech. I also created an original sound for Percy's pen sword using a combination of a pen click and magical SFX. I included a scene in context of a battle with the sword transformation and a Fury attack.
