A fantastical world of monsters, Greek gods and demigods will be coming to life in Garibaldi Secondary’s upcoming production, The Lightning Thief.
Based on the best-selling novel by author Rick Riordan, the story follows the adventures of a young boy named Percy Jackson who discovers he is the son of the Greek god Poseidon. Jackson, along with his friends, Annabeth and Grover, must catch the thief of Zeus’ master bolt while facing a myriad of mythological enemies along the way that are trying to stop his quest.
The book has appeared on the New York Times best seller list for more than a decade and has been adapted into a movie, a Broadway musical, and as a new television series on Disney+.
First time director and producer, Niklas Koehn, described the story as about a teenage boy who discovers the world is more fantastical than he originally thought.
“It’s a very uplifting show,” said the Grade 12 student who is putting on the musical for the school as part of his end of year capstone project – an independent project that demonstrates the culmination of their academics within their high school experience. As such, he has taken the lead on the entire production.
Koehn has read the entire series and said he was drawn to this musical because he had been listening to the recordings for years.
He also knew exactly who he wanted to cast for his production.
There are 13 students cast in the musical and 35 involved in the production overall.
Koehn noted, the entire thing is student led – from set design, costumes, choreography.
What Koehn really likes about the musical is that the characters represent a variety of people – some have mental illness, some have dyslexia, and others have ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
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“I think that’s a really important thing to notice about it, is that it’s very focused on those people who you wouldn’t generally see in a leading role,” said Koehn.
Co-directing with Koehn is Melissa Duran, who has enjoyed working with cast and crew to make the production possible.
“I think different ages will enjoy the show and the adventure. And it’s a really fun show that I think people will really like,” she said.
The group will be giving a preview at Celebrate Earth Day this weekend in Maple Ridge.
They will have a booth set up on Saturday, April 20, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Memorial Peace Park where they will have colouring pages and hand stamps for children. They will also be demonstrating their fight choreography throughout the day and they will also be participating in flash mobs where they will be singing The Camp Fire Song.
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Koehn is hoping the audience enjoys Riordan’s fantasy world and their take on the musical written and composed by Robert Rokicki.
The Garibaldi Interdisciplinary Arts Academy will be putting on The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical May 9 - May 14 at 7 p.m., there will be a matinee at 2 p.m. on May 15, and May 16 and 17 at 7 p.m. at the Garibaldi Secondary School Theatre, 24789 Dewdney Trunk Road, Maple Ridge.
Tickets are $18 for the evening performances, $10 for the matinee, or $20 each at the door.
For more information or to purchase tickets go to: https://niklaskoehn.ca/.