Youth-led Anchorage theater company opens first show with ‘Percy Jackson’ musical

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Friday started opening weekend for a brand new, entirely youth-led Anchorage production company’s first show, “The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical.”

It’s a musical adaptation of a popular book series, “Percy Jackson & The Olympians,” authored by Rick Riordan.

For the last year, a group of Anchorage kids ages 11 to 17 worked to raise over $20,000 of production funds, helping to launch their own production company — Splish Splash Productions.

Thirteen-year-old co-founder Raedyn Keeling-Masuhara and Daniel Brown, 17, explained their initial thoughts of the production.

“Essentially, I was listening to one of the songs, and I was like, ‘Woah! That’s pretty cool.’ So then I texted Daniel and I said, ‘Hey, we should do this,’” Keeling-Masuhara said.

“We had the idea as actors, we’re actors,” Brown said. ”That’s what we do and that’s the skillset that we’ve been trained with,“ Brown said. ”We had to learn about how to manage costs, and how to find tech people, and negotiate with stage managers. It went beyond just telling a story ... it was about how to facilitate the story being told.”

It’s all in an effort to put on a show based on a book series they love.

“Rick Riordan’s books have defined a generation,” Brown said. “They have empowered neurodivergent youth all over the world. The message has resonated so hard, and I think it’s really important the see those youth voices from the youth perspective on the stage.”

The Alaska Theatre of Youth helped sponsor the musical, paving the way for history to be made.

“To my knowledge, this is the first entirely youth-led production in Alaska,” Program Director Austyn Davis said. “They are in control of every element of what the audiences will see on stage when the show opens, from the scenic design to the costume design, they are actors in the show as well, and have been co-producers and the the production as well.”

“Opening night is the most jarring experience that I’ve ever had,” Keeling-Masuhara said. “And it happens over and over again, but it’s not like a scary feeling. It’s more of a ... let’s go!”

The show runs April 18-20, and April 25-27 at the UAA Mainstage Theatre. Tickets are available online.

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