Love Percy Jackson? Rock music? Musical theater? It’s all wrapped into OFT season’s first play

Olympia Family Theater’s “The Lightning Thief,” opening Friday, Oct. 6, is something new for the company: a rock musical with Broadway roots.

The show, based on Rick Riordan’s 2005 young adult novel about the son of the Greek god Poseidon, has a full live band featuring guitarist Denim Protégé, who impressed audiences in Harlequin Productions’ “Hundred Days.” And it’s so vocally demanding that the theater is scheduling just one performance per day.

“This is very, very ambitious production,” said director Rebecca Rogers. “There are a lot of technically challenging things going on, but our team is spectacular, and our cast is better than we could have hoped for.

“The story is hilarious and heartwarming at the same time,” said Rogers, who runs the theater’s improv program and has directed and acted in several shows there.

The musical is a big start to a season that’s on the smaller side for the theater. There are four full productions planned, compared to a typical five shows before the pandemic.

It’s also a season of big transitions for the theater. Lily Raabe, who helmed the theater since 2021, has stepped down to spend more time writing and traveling. The theater is looking for a new artistic director and meanwhile has hired its first executive director, Mark Alford. Though he’s best known locally as an actor, Alford has more than a decade of experience in theater administration.

“I am excited to build upon the company’s already strong foundation, particularly in terms of fundraising and business organization, while simultaneously growing our programs and offerings,” Alford told The Olympian. “We have a larger staff than we’ve ever had before, a recently opened second-stage space, and a gorgeous multi-level set for ‘The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical.’ ”

The “Thief” team includes musical director Heather Matthews, assistant director Anya Guadamuz and choreographer Vanessa Postil.

Chloe Swanson, a sophomore at Timberline High School in Lacey, plays Percy. Also in the cast: Sara St. Clair, Jasmine Gannie, Nathan Groome, Nick Hall, Ben Matthews (Heather Matthews’ husband), Jesse Morrow, Sullivan Tyler and Maisy Rutledge, who’s a sophomore at Olympia High School.

The four-piece band includes Protégé, Elijah Bellis on drums, Michael Bradley on bass and Alex Jones on piano.

It was Heather Matthews who inspired Raabe and company to produce the musical. Her child Zoey, who’s a sixth-grader at Washington Middle School in Olympia, introduced her to the music.

“We listened to the soundtrack a bunch during COVID, and I never got sick of listening to it,” Matthews said. “The music is really electric and fun and also really tongue in cheek.

“Zoey was in third grade at the time, and I was struggling to get them to read chapter books, and I said, ‘That musical you love is also a book series,’ ” she said. “The musical is what opened the door for Zoey reading chapter books. … There’s probably a lot of kids who would love to rock out to a rock musical but aren’t big readers. This might open the doors for them to love reading.”

The musical’s message was a big draw, too, Matthews said.

“There’s this quote that gets me every time,” she said. “It’s this line that Percy’s mom sings: ‘The things that make you different are the very things that make you strong.’ That’s really important for kids to hear.”

‘The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical’

• What: Olympia Family Theater opens its 2023-24 with a rock musical based on Rick Riordan’s novel about the son of Poseidon.
• When: 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 6, plus Oct. 12-13, 19-20 and 26-27 and 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 7-8, plus Oct. 14-15, 21- 22, and 28-29.
• Where: Olympia Family Theater, 612 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia
• Tickets: Available on a sliding scale
• Memberships: $180 per year. Memberships include a ticket to each main stage show, two flex tickets so members can bring guests to a show of their choice, free access to first rehearsals and more.
• More information: http://olyft.org
• Also: Masks are required for Sunday performances. The show is recommended for those 8 years old and older.

The rest of the season

“The Velveteen Rabbit” (Dec. 8-24 and Jan. 5-7): Love makes a toy rabbit become real in a play based on Margery Williams’ classic book. Recommended for ages 5 and older.

“Barney Carey Gets His Wings” (Feb. 23-March 17): Young Barney’s adventures begin when he and his dad find a beautiful set of fairy wings in an old trunk. Recommended for ages 7 and older.

“The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” (May 11-June 2): Dorothy and friends get a modern update in Jaqueline E. Lawton’s adaptation of the L. Frank Baum classic. Recommended for ages 5 and older.

Also at Olympia Family Theater

Tales Told in 10 (March): A festival of original plays created in 24 hours.

Camps and workshops: Options happen after school and during school breaks. Find out more at https://olyft.org/education/.