Northeast Alabama Community College Theatre is starting its new season off with a BANG by producing the popular play The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical. The play features flying effects (including people!), a live band, nineteen wonderful musical numbers from pounding pop rock to ballads, a cast of thirty, and the theatre’s state-of-the-art lighting effects. Several community members join the cast, including those from the college’s rich performance history.

The Theatre will perform The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical on November 11-13 and 18-20, 2022. Performances Friday through Saturday nights will be held at 7:00 p.m., and Sunday’s performance will be a matinée at 2:00 p.m. The performances will be at the Tom Bevill Lyceum located on the NACC main campus.

“We have had an amazing time putting The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical together for our community,” said Smith. “We chose to have a slightly smaller season last year so we could rebuild our program and our audiences post-Covid. This season will be huge! We are coming back with a bang. ⚡️The Lightning Thief will feature a live band, a large cast full of talent, and incredible flying effects.”

Tickets for The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical will be available to purchase by phone, in person, or online. The Theatre Box Office is located on the 2nd Floor of the Tom Bevill Lyceum. To order tickets by phone with a credit card call: (256) 638-4418 ext. 2218. To order tickets online visit www.nacc.edu/theatre. Tickets are $8 each.

“We are so excited about this play,” stated NACC President Dr. David Campbell.  “Don’t miss it! Come out and enjoy an evening or afternoon of top-notch entertainment.  Our actors and production staff will make this a special occasion for you!”

The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical was first seen in 2014 as a free one-hour performance with TheatreWorks USA. In 2017 the production opened Off-Broadway at the Lucille Lortel Theatre with a larger cast and a live band. The production received positive reviews from journalists stating that the production was better than the movies and that the musical provided an intriguing introduction into Greek Mythology that might spark the imagination and brains of young students

 The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical stars the son of Poseidon, Percy Jackson, as the main character on an adventurous quest with his two friends Grover and Annabeth to find and return Zeus’s stolen lightning bolt before a war between the gods ensues. The Greek gods are real and that makes these demigods' lives abnormal. That is why normal is a myth!

The musical boasts a wonderful selection of about 19 musical numbers such as Another Terrible Day, Campfire Song, My Grand Plan, D.O.A., and Bring on the Monsters! The musical numbers have a heart-pumping, pushing, pop anthem quality in every song. The musical also offers a nice variety of musical styles from pounding pop rock to ballads.

The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical is a wonderfully designed production built and designed by about 30 people and performed by an extraordinary group of 30 students and community members. The crew consists of more than 30 people working on costumes, set construction, prop design, sound, and lighting. The 30 cast members each play a variety of roles throughout the production, including Percy, Poseidon, Grover, and Annabeth.

NACC’s Theatre Department, led by Director of Theatre Kayleigh Smith, has used the college’s state-of-the-art technical equipment and talented theatre students, community members, and college staff to bring in-person productions back to the area.

NACC’s Music Department has also been working hard to bring our Fall show to the stage. “Working with Stacy Morris and the Department of Music is always a dream,” said Smith. “This is the seventh production we’ve worked on together since I became Director of Theatre. Their talent never ceases to amaze me. Having live music in our productions elevates our show to another level. They blow me away every time!”

Finally, Smith is grateful for the support given to the NACC Theatre. “We would like to thank the amazing cast and crew for their tireless efforts to bring the magic of theatre to life. They have poured so much time, energy, and love into this show—all while wearing masks! A huge thank you to our biggest supporter and president of Northeast, Dr. David Campbell, as well as the entire NACC family, for their belief in, and support of creating quality live theatre for those we serve. We could not do what we do without your advocacy for the arts.”