Preparing to take on the monsters in “The Lighting Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical” are (from left) Grover (Fisher Sullivan), Percy Jackson (Jalen Dalton) and Annabeth (Olivia Frizzi).
Minotaurs, exploding buses and a rock band share the stage in an epic production.
The Department of Theatre and Dance opens its 2025-26 Walter Gloor Mainstage Series with “The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical” from Oct. 24 to Nov. 2 in the Robert W. Marvel Theatre on the Fredonia campus.
Tickets are available online 24/7Tickets may also be purchased on Monday, Wednesday or Friday by phone at (716) 673-3501 or in person at the Fredonia Ticket Office in the Williams Center during the same hours.
“There are a lot of moving parts, so creating a unified vision is key – and that’s what our students are great at,” said Director Jessica Hillman-McCord said of the production. “The design team gets to really explore the possibilities with this one.”
Hillman-McCord said the Mainstage production will feature plenty of “theatrical magic,” as monsters, exploding buses and fight sequences come to life.
“There are a lot of moving parts, so creating a unified vision is key – and that’s what our students are great at,” - Director Jessica Hillman-McCord
“It’s a visually exciting production,” she said. “I hope audiences will have a super good time.”
Design meetings for the Mainstage production began last March. Casting for the 25 roles took place in August and rehearsals have been under way since.
“The Lightning Thief” is the musical adaptation of Rick Riordan’s bestselling book that made its Broadway debut in 2019. The tale follows Percy Jackson, a teenager who feels there is something different about him only to discover he’s a demigod. As a result, Percy and his friends must embark on an epic journey to find Zeus’ missing lightning bolt and prevent a war among the gods.
The popular book series went on to be adapted for film and television (with the series set to return for season two on Disney Plus in December). However, Hillman-McCord thinks it is the stage version that hits the mark the best.
“The musical captures the spirit of the books best of all the adaptations,” the director said.
While the Percy Jackson book series was geared toward younger readers, Hillman-McCord said the musical is “fun and entertaining for all ages.”
“The show has a great rock score, it’s funny and it has an inspirational message for young people,” she said.
“The Lightning Thief” features a book by Joe Tracz with music and lyrics by Rob Rokicki. The Mainstage production is presented through special arrangement with Concord Theatricals.
In 2014, “The Lightning Thief” debuted as a one-hour musical in New York City at the Lucille Lortel Theatre off-Broadway. Following a national tour, an expanded version of the show returned to the Lucille Lortel Theatre in 2017. The show’s Broadway debut came on Oct. 16, 2019, at the Longacre Theatre.
“The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical” is supported by the Walter Gloor Mainstage Series Endowment of the Fredonia College Foundation and is presented as part of the 2025-26 Lake Shore Bank Season.
