The Lake Michigan College Visual & Performing Arts Department will hold auditions for its Spring musical production of “The Lightning Thief,” book by Joe Tracz, music and lyrics by Rob Rokicki, and adapted from the book “The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan. The LMC production is directed by LMC Instructor of Theatre Dr. Patrick King, with musical direction by Rebecca Derbas-Selvidge, LMC Director of Choirs and Music Lecturer.
Students and community members are invited to participate in the auditions at 4-7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 28, and 6:30–9 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 29. They will be held in Deckmann Studio in the Lake Michigan College Mendel Center on the Benton Harbor Campus, 2755 E. Napier Ave. Auditioners should register at https://bit.ly/LTLMC and indicate which night they prefer to audition. Callbacks are tentatively planned for Thursday, Nov. 30.
Auditioners should prepare 32 bars of a pop/rock song (show tunes welcome) and a brief piece of spoken text consisting of a monologue, poem, paragraph, or text from the packet available in the VPA front office and at auditions. Those auditioning should arrive ready to move in comfortable clothing.
The production runs March 29-30 and April 5-7, 2024.
Cast members are asked to enroll in the three-credit course Theatre Practicum (DRAM 202) to receive academic credit for their work on the play. Alternatively, they may register as community education participants.
Students and community volunteers interested in building the set or assisting with costumes, lights, props, or run crew should contact King. Those individuals may enroll in Theatre Practicum or Stagecraft, depending on their area of interest and availability.
Musical Synopsis
As the half-blood son of a Greek god, Percy Jackson has newly discovered powers he can’t control, a destiny he doesn’t want, and a mythology textbook’s worth of monsters on his trail. When Zeus’ master Lightning bolt is stolen, and Percy becomes the prime suspect, he has to find and return the bolt to prove his innocence and prevent a war between the gods. But to succeed in his quest, Percy must do more than catch the thief. He must travel to the Underworld and back, solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend, and come to terms with the father who abandoned him. Adapted from the best-selling book “The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan and featuring a thrilling original rock score, “The Lightning Thief” is an action-packed mythical adventure “worthy of the gods” (Time Out New York).
The ensemble includes seven principal characters and more than 20 ensemble characters. The list includes:
Principal characters
- Percy Jackson – Son of Poseidon, a good kid with a teenage temper
- Annabeth – Daughter of Athena, smarter than you
- Grover – A happy-go-lucky satyr, like a hippie kid with hooves
- Luke – Son of Hermes, cool camp counselor
- Sally Jackson – Percy’s hard-working mother
- Brunner a.k.a. Chiron – Wise centaur, part-time Latin teacher
- Clarisse – Tough jock girl, daughter of Ares
Ensemble characters
- Dodds – A Fury posing as a substitute algebra teacher
- Gabe Ugliano – Percy’s foul stepfather
- Minotaur – Half-man, half-bull
- Poseidon – God of the sea, salty beach bum
- D – a.k.a. Dionysus, god of wine, snarky camp director
- Silena Beauregard – Daughter of Aphrodite
- Katie Gardner – Daughter of Demeter
- The Oracle – A hippie mummy
- Greyhound passenger 1
- Greyhound passenger 2
- Squirrel
- Aunty Em – a.k.a. Medusa, avid sculptor
- Train conductor
- Echidna – Mother of monsters
- Newscaster
- Farmer
- Ares – God of war, rock star in leather pants
- Bianca – Mysterious girl in 1930’s clothes
- Kronos – A voice in a pit
- Thalia – Daughter of Zeus, brave
- Charon – Ferryperson to the Underworld
- James Brown
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Kurt Cobain
- Janis Joplin
- DJ Cerberus
- Hades – God of the dead, moody and melodramatic
For more information about the Visual and Performing Arts Department and performances, visit lakemichigancollege.edu/arts, email mmccaffrey@lakemichigancollege.edu, or call 269-927-8876.
“The Lightning Thief” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals. www.concordtheatricals.com
About the Lake Michigan College Visual & Performing Arts Department
The Visual & Performing Arts Department allows students to reach new levels of excellence through classroom instruction and public performance. Many programs, including theatre, instrumental and vocal music, and dance, are based in the Lake Michigan College Mendel Center, the only performing arts center in Southwest Michigan. Here, LMC students have opportunities to study the performing arts in a venue that attracts more than 100,000 patrons annually. Programs including drawing, painting, and graphic design allow students to explore the possibilities in the visual arts.
Auditions are held for select ensembles that perform on the same stages as world-renowned touring acts. Students in any major also have opportunities to audition for Broadway musicals and plays and join two different vocal ensembles, string and wind ensembles, a pop-rock ensemble, a drumline, and a jazz band. One of only two colleges in Michigan to carry the prestigious All-Steinway designation, LMC has a team of highly qualified faculty that bring real-world expertise to the classroom.
Posted November 16, 2023