The cast of The Lightning Thief at San Diego Junior Theatre 

Little does anyone know, but this average kid had famous ancestors, and they’re destined to do great things. That’s an evergreen theme in stories for young adults: Heroes come from unlikely places, inheriting a history previously unknown even to themselves. A connection to the Force, to the Wizarding world—or even the Greek pantheon.

Rick Riordan’s 2005 novel The Lightning Thief found an irresistible angle on this theme: At summer camp, 12-year-old Percy Jackson learns he’s the long-lost son of Poseidon, his friend Annabeth is the daughter of Athena, and they embark on a quest that leads them to the underworld and back.

The novel spawned four sequels, two spinoff series, two feature films, and The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical, now playing at San Diego Junior Theatre.

Jason Blitman has been working on this show for the better part of six years—as the casting director of its original off-Broadway run, on a one-act touring version, and as director of this full-length version. Some of the cast were already familiar with the books. (Ava, who plays Annabeth, recalls going through a Percy Jackson phase and reading them all “in, like, a week.”) Some had even seen the play. 

This is a double-edged sword for up-and-coming actors, who might assume they should imitate the performance they’ve already seen. But Blitman encouraged everyone to find their own take on their characters. While casting, he looked for people with a strong sense of who they were as individuals, who wouldn’t be afraid to make bold choices.

The cast of The Lightning Thief at San Diego Junior Theatre

It seems his message has sunk in. Quincy, who plays Percy Jackson, says the play has taught him that when it comes to acting choices, it’s better “to be strong and wrong than to not try at all.”

Likewise, Ava says she’s learned that everything a character does must have a purpose. “Even little things, like crossing downstage or just getting to the spot you’re supposed to be in, have meanings behind them. It’s kind of like real life: You don’t just walk to the middle of the room randomly so you can start your conversation; everything you do, you do for a reason.”

Blitman specializes in teaching theater by and for young people, and he believes much of that discipline is about cultivating their sense of empathy—to fully imagine themselves in another person’s circumstances and adopt their perspective—as well as what it means to work as a team and take constructive feedback.

Taking on these roles in particular is a way of proving to themselves that they, too, can overcome monsters—the minotaurs and cyclopes are literal, yes, but they’re also “a not-so-secret metaphor for the monsters in the real world,” Blitman says. “The characters are 13 years old and dealing with problems that are bigger than themselves.”

That doesn’t mean The Lightning Thief is only for kids, he argues: “I think adults sometimes look at theater for young audiences and think, ‘Oh, this isn’t for me. But we were all young once; we can all relate to what it was like to be an outcast. Plus, it’s fun, contemporary, and has a really great pop-rock score.”

It may also inspire you to learn more about Greek mythology, as it did Quincy. “There are so many references in the script about things I didn’t know about,” he says. “It makes me curious. I was already a big Percy Jackson fan, but there’s always more to learn.”

The Lightning Thief runs April 29 through May 15 at Casa del Prado Theatre. Tickets are available at juniortheatre.com. 

The post Secret Demigods Overcome Their (Literal) Monsters in ‘The Lightning Thief’ appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Given this, you’d be forgiven for feeling hesitant about a high- and middle-school-age production of Twelfth Night. But these aren’t just any young actors—they are San Diego Junior Theatre, the oldest continuously operating youth theater organization in the country. Now in its 72nd season, the company’s founding predates La Jolla Playhouse by 11 years, San Diego Rep by 28. They’re so OG their website is just juniortheatre.com. So it’s safe to say they’re no lightweights.

I’d only read Twelfth Night once, back in college, and had never seen it, so I figure I’m a good test audience for effectively communicating Early Modern English. And the lead actors here not only get it, they make it their own. After being separated from her twin brother in a shipwreck, Viola (Fiona Byrne) disguises herself as a man named “Cesario” to enter the service of Duke Orsino (Seth Holt), whom she quickly falls in love with. Orsino is in love with Lady Olivia (Genevieve Foster), but when he sends “Cesario” to deliver word of his affection, Olivia falls in love with “Cesario” instead.

Have a Gay Ol’ Time with ‘Twelfth Night’

Genevieve Foster, Hunter Mackay, Fiona Byrne, and Seth Holt in Twelfth Night by San Diego Junior Theatre | Photo by Ken Jacques

It’s a classic romantic comedy love triangle. There actually isn’t much to Orsino’s character besides “is a lord,” but Holt breathes life and charisma into it. Byrne delivers a nuanced performance of the inner conflict and social dexterity that comes with being the center of all this attention. Foster’s transition from stoic mourning to besotted seducer lets her deploy some great physical comedy—one perfectly timed fan deployment gets the biggest laughs of the play.

Director Justin Lang leans into the story’s inherent queer themes in a fun, effervescent way that adults and teens alike will enjoy, aided by gender-fluid casting and some truly fabulous costumes from Bertha Tulagan and lighting by David Romero. Drunken uncle Sir Toby Belch (Gaia Micciancio) and his cohorts, aspirant suitor Sir Andrew Aguecheek (Marc Berger) and court jester Feste (Amaya Gray) are a natural fit for partying in Pride regalia and other assorted silliness. Micciancio is one of the most capable actors in the show, and Berger is a great foil; their timing together is sharp. Gray is very well cast for her skill in mime and song—her musical interludes, both in beautiful vocal solo and almost-convincing rubber-chicken-violin, are standout moments—but I fear that some of the jester’s intended wit and wordplay is lost to rushed line delivery.

Keep your eye on Caleb Haberman’s Malvolio. The play’s B-plot finds Sir Belch and Co. playing a mean trick on Olivia’s persnickety servant, convincing him by way of forged handwriting that Olivia is not only in love with him, but prefers a truly garish fashion style. Malvolio’s enthusiastic debutant-like entrance in said fashion and attempt at answering Olivia’s love brings down the house as Haberman elevates his unassuming secondary character to audience favorite.

I can’t express how pleased I am at getting to see these talented young people put on such a lively, entertaining production. Some of the minor characters don’t quite have the command over their cues and dialogue to keep a Shakespearean novice’s comprehension at 100 percent, but it never detracts long enough to drag the momentum down. If you want a glimpse of what’s to come in San Diego’s theater talent, come down to Casa del Prado—but be quick! There are just three performances left.

Twelfth Night, by San Diego Junior Theatre

At Casa del Prado Theatre through January 19

Tickets at juniortheatre.com

ASL-interpreted performance at 2 p.m. Saturday, the 18th

Have a Gay Ol’ Time with ‘Twelfth Night’

Marc Berger, Gaia Micciancio, and Gabriella Martien in Twelfth Night by San Diego Junior Theatre | Photo by Ken Jacque

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