The writer is a member of Swoop Troupe.

Last week, UNF’s premiere theatre group, the Swoop Troupe Theatre Corporation, announced “The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical” as its musical for the Spring 2022 Semester.

On the heels of their successful performances of The Sound of Music, Into the Woods, and 9 to 5, this musical adapts the beloved young adult novel and series by Rick Riordan. It tells the story of teenager Percy Jackson, who discovers that he is the son of Poseidon, greek god of the seas. When he is framed for the theft of Zeus’s Master bolt, he must go on a quest to prove his innocence and prevent a war among the gods.

Adapting many elements from Greek mythology, but adapting them to a modern world, The Percy Jackson series is a beloved hallmark of our generation, spawning spin-off book series, movie adaptations, comics, and an upcoming TV series on Disney+. It is widely regarded as the best and most iconic young adult/teen fantasy book series of all time after the Harry Potter series.

The show is relatively new, having only premiered in 2017, and leaving Broadway in 2020. The show only became available for licensing earlier this year, making Swoop Troupe, at the time of writing, one of the first amateur theatre groups in the state of Florida to perform it.

But was this the right choice for their signature musical?

In the simplest of terms, Yes. This was the perfect choice.

Spinnaker set up a poll, asking UNF students how familiar, if at all, they were with the Percy Jackson series. The results were not all that surprising.

Of the 125 students that responded to the poll, over 50 percent had actually read the whole series, with over 95 percent being familiar with them. 

Clearly, Swoop Troupe made the right decision in choosing a show that adapts an iconic series in the hearts of many people of our generation. In less than a week since the initial announcement, excitement has flooded the UNF community, with many hoping to audition for their dream role.

While no audition information has been revealed yet, Swoop Troupe has told people to “Stay Tuned.” They are however currently accepting applicants to be a part of the production team for the musical, the people behind the scenes who make the show a reality, while maybe not on stage.

All current and future information regarding the show and auditions can be found on Swoop Troupe’s website here.

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