Inspire School of Arts and Sciences performed their show “The Lightning Thief: Percy Jackson the Musical” on Saturday at the Center For The Arts. There were two showings of the musical that day at 1 and 6 p.m.
Before the show outside of the theater, family and friends created a line along the tennis courts and beyond. Some expressed their frustration and concern while waiting.
Production director of Inspire and the musical, Jarrah Myles, gave a brief speech explaining her cast and crew’s dedication and the challenges they faced leading up to the show. She spoke proudly of how well the cast adapted to moving venues from Laxson Auditorium to the CFA.
The show was originally going to be presented at the Laxson Auditorium at Chico State, but the setting was changed after the power outage on campus.
After Myles’ speech the lights dimmed, the music crescendoed, the curtains opened and the musical began. The first song was full of choreography and a range of voices.
The crowd erupted in applause and cheers after every song. They would also cheer after an actor or actress hit a note just right.
The cast created an atmosphere that made the audience react in loud laughter or soft sorrow during scenes. They used the entire stage to move front left to right, and looked directly at the audience during songs and monologues.
Throughout the show, performers would come out into the crowd to act out battles. Actors would swing fake swords, dodge their “opponents” and run through the rows following the music.
Pleasant Valley High School senior Niko Gephart, who played Percy Jackson, shared his thoughts after the show. He explained how he felt knowing he wouldn’t perform at Laxson anymore.
“I was devastated because the first show I ever watched as a kid that got me into theater was on that stage,” Gephart said. “It was really hard having to shift because It was an important place to be – especially for my senior show.”
Gephart also touches on how he felt being able to play Percy Jackson, and being able to do it with his cast mates.
“Everybody was super welcoming, even the directors were really easy to work with,” Gephart said. “There’s a lot of creative freedom in the show because we found our own character, they didn’t give our character to us.”
The cast was made up of students from ages 14-18, both actors and backstage crew. In the show, many tech crew students would pop in and out of stage to move props and clean up any mess.
On stage, many props were set out like Greek-style pillars, a diner booth and even a life sized motorcycle. Backstage crew members were also seen moving props throughout the show.
Myles spoke highly of the student cast and crew after the show.
“I shouldn’t even call them kids, these young adults are so talented,” Myles said. “There was something so unique about this with people being from different backgrounds and different ages that made it so special and they really honored the show.”
Many people were part of keeping the show on such as students and staff of the musical, Chico Performances and community members.
Myles told the audience before the show that some people who had tickets to the original show chose to give up their seats for others to attend after they heard about the power outage and being moved to a much smaller place
Chico Performances agreed to help the production even after the move to the CFA. They ran the entry at the front of the doors with admissions.
Myles said they worked tirelessly from 6 p.m. Friday night until the first showing of the musical Saturday afternoon in order to move their entire set to the CFA. This meant moving all their props, costumes, equipment and more.
The crowd was active through the whole performance and after the final curtain closed. Applause and cheers went on for several minutes as the cast bowed and waved.
The cast and crew worked hard for the show to be put on even before the venue change, which made the outcome that much more impressive.
Cecilia Gonzalez can be reached at [email protected].
