Castilleja’s Theater Department put on a fantastic performance of Joe Tracz’s “The Lightning Thief: A Percy Jackson Musical” on Nov. 8 – Nov. 9. In past years, the department wowed audiences with productions of “Mean Girls,” “Clue” and “Little Women.” This year’s musical was unique because of its physical demands and complex choreography which the cast executed with remarkable energy and dedication.
“The Lightning Thief” was notably challenging as the group hadn’t recently done shows with lots of weapons and fight choreography.
“Technique needs to be incredibly precise in order to stay safe while also making the fight choreography look as real as possible,” Natalie Dang ’26 said, describing the focus necessary when using weapons. While difficult, Dang found this to be “one of the most fun and rewarding aspects” of the show. Cast members were able to “learn a new skill and take their performance to a whole different level.”
In addition to the intense fight choreo, the cast was fairly small and many people played multiple roles. For example, Zoë Friedman ’26 played three name roles plus general ensemble. She said that although the production was one of the “most taxing [she’s] ever done,” it was also “one of the most exciting because [she] was able to explore so many characters and sing in several really different styles.”
While having a smaller cast required a lot of discipline, focus and organization, Nightingale Smith ’26 reflected that “having a small cast, especially for this production, was really fun.” The show had a lot of moving parts, and the cast “all came together as an ensemble to make it work.” Smith noted the importance of “having a close ensemble with smaller casts” and thought they really pulled it off: “The vibes and community were amazing – one of the best casts I’ve been in.”
Maitlen Suvari ’25 echoed Smith’s views, agreeing that “the cast was absolutely incredible, and having a small cast made everyone a lot closer and strengthened bond[s].” With respect to choreography, Suvari explained how Bessie Zolno, the show’s fight choreographer, led them in a “fight call,” a warmup in which the cast ran “every fight at 50% speed and 75% speed to make sure the movement was in [their] bodies and that [they’re] connected with [their] partner so everyone stayed safe.”
The set design and props were also essential in bringing the show to life. Ameena Haque ’26, the show’s stage manager, said that Yusuke, the show’s “incredible set designer,” executed the cast’s goal of creating a “dangerous and precarious set” to support the journey the characters faced throughout the musical. The set included “details like caution tape, ladders, and poles to create a treacherous feel.” Greet, the show’s “wonderful props manager, found and created all of the props for the show.” Additionally, Haque helped run the show’s lights “which, coming from running sound in previous shows, was a bigger challenge because there are several hundred cues.” Despite the challenges, Haque said, “This was probably the most fun I’ve had during a show [because]of the wonderful people involved in it.”
The physicality and staging of the “Lightning Thief” presented many firsts for the cast who embraced the challenges and delivered a fantastic performance. The Castilleja community is excited to be dazzled again by future performances.
