Penn Yan students get ready for the stage

PENN YAN--The Penn Yan Academy Drama Club is excited to stage its spring production of "The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical" from March 24-27.
Based on the bestselling Rick Riordan novel of the same name, The Lightning Thief is the story of Percy Jackson (junior John Shaw), a young man who has been kicked out of six schools in the last six years and can't quite seem to figure himself out. Though he loves his mother Sally (senior Samantha Trank), he has grown up with a hole in his life and a big question - who is his father? Percy finally gets an unexpected answer to this question when he discovers that not only are the Greek gods still alive and well - but that his father is one of them, making him a demigod. Introduced to this new world by his former Latin teacher Mr. Brunner (junior Garrett Hilton) and his best friend Grover (senior Massan Jensen), Percy arrives at Camp Half-Blood, a refuge for demigods run by the reluctant wine god Dionysus (freshman Aidan Dallos). Percy begins to settle into a new life, but is quickly pulled into conflict after he is accused of stealing Zeus' "Master Bolt," an all-powerful godly weapon. As a war between the gods looms, Percy is encouraged by new friends like Annabeth Chase (sophomore Emma Eichenhofer), the daughter of Athena, and his Camp Counselor Luke Castellan (senior Dayton Gulick), the Son of Hermes, who prepare him to take on the hero's quest to retrieve the bolt assigned to him by the camp's Oracle (senior Jayden Hollister).
During his journey, Percy encounters a variety of interesting and memorable characters portrayed by a talented group of student actors including Maine Berrios, Nathaniel Chaffee, Joseph Droney, Emma Fleet, Cadence Hinkal, Izzy Hinkal, Zachary Lewis, Vanessa Martinez, Madeleine Martini, Logan Miller, Keuka Miranda-Wiltberger, Gale/Ezra Paddock, Leah Prather, Rae Richter, Sophia Smith, Zachary Smith, Emmaleigh Stempien, Addyson Webber, and Kyle Wheeler. His interactions with these characters, his adventures along the way, and his new understandings about the crazy world he finds himself in push Percy to reach down deep inside and discover who he truly wants to be.
The Lightning Thief, with a book by Joe Tracz and Music/Lyrics by Rob Rokicki, is directed by PYA Choir and Theatre teacher Jessica Kinsey and stage managed by freshman Danielle Miller. The production will run from Thursday March 24th through Sunday, March 27th in the Penn Yan Middle School Auditorium and online through a paid livestream. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday shows will begin at 7 p.m., with a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. Tickets for the live performances and the livestream are available online at www.showtix4u.com/events/thelightningthief at $10 for students/seniors, $11 for adults, or $15 for the livestream option. Tickets can also be purchased at the door for $11 for students/seniors and $12 for adults. The drama club's productions are entirely financed by ticket sales.