The Lightning Thief: A Behind the Scenes on the Tut House Musical

From November 7th to 9th, the UNIS theatre department took the community on a journey to the world of Camp Half-Blood, a summer camp in the Percy Jackson Universe. There was a full house every night. However, many people do not know what it was like backstage. This article explores the actors’ experiences during production, delving into both the challenges they faced and the moments of enjoyment. So sit still, grab some popcorn, and turn off your phones because it’s time you heard our side of the story (pun intended.)

Musical Rehearsals

One of the first things learned by the cast included the score, consisting of songs sung by characters and the ensemble. We would usually stand in a circle together, holding our thick vocal books, while familiarizing ourselves with the layered harmonies. This was a tiring and time-consuming process. One thing I remember from this stage of rehearsal was the confusion and cacophony caused when three or four harmonies were sung together. The different pitches and tones would confuse the ensemble, causing certain voices to be drowned out or led astray. Nevertheless, the cast did not give up and eventually, we prevailed in learning these songs, bringing life to the musical. “I seriously got chills every time we all synced up,” said Sammie Gregorian, the cast member who played Percy.

Dancing!

Choreography was a major part of the musical. Dance rehearsals were usually fun and exciting as everyone got to learn these really cool dance moves together. Although the rehearsals were entertaining, there was usually a moment each time when they would get tedious. This was usually towards the end of the rehearsal, yet with motivation from Ms. Mcbroom, we were able to push through physically and mentally to finish learning the dance. Many people in the cast favored the song D.O.A as it featured fun disco-like moves. My personal favorite dance is “Put you in your place” due to the stage fighting featured. Overall, the cast was brought together through the dancing.

Tech and Costume

The mythical lightning and ethereal costumes displayed throughout the show were not designed overnight. In fact, it took days to get through the tech process and costumes were in consideration throughout the whole rehearsal phase. Tech was a really fun yet tiring process, as scenes were replayed many times until the lighting was mastered. Sometimes, a single scene would take around 30 minutes or even longer to fully tech! During this time, actors in the scene had to stay in their places and keep quiet so the tech would be accurate.
Another key element was costumes. The costumes for each character were carefully chosen and designed, with some pieces being made specifically and some being taken from home. The UNIS costume closet was certainly a savior!

Overall, the cast members became closer through the rehearsal process. There were times when actors acted like their characters outside of rehearsal, with offstage bloopers reminding me of the role they played. We entered this cast as classmates and left as friends. On senior night and closing night, the backstage was filled with tears and hugs as the story, and Percy’s quest came to an end.