The Lightning Thief — Local Stage Production

A local youth production of *The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical* opens Friday, May 1, in Livingston, and it’s the kind of show that tells you a lot about what community theater can do when it goes a little bigger. This isn’t a one-off recital or a quick student showcase. It’s a multi-weekend run at the Shane Lalani Center for the Arts, built around Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson world — gods, monsters, quests, and all. The practical stakes are simple: if you want to see it, the first performances are happening now, and the run only lasts through mid-May. (theshanecenter.org) ### What is actually opening? It’s the Shane Center’s Teen Theatre production of *The Lightning Thief*, the stage musical based on *The Lightning Thief* story from the Percy Jackson series. The setup is familiar if you know the books — Percy Jackson learns he’s the son of Poseidon and gets pulled into a myth-heavy adventure involving gods, (theshanecenter.org)senting it as a full staged production, not a reading or workshop. (theshanecenter.org) ### Where is it happening? The show is at the Shane Lalani Center for the Arts in Livingston, at 415 E. Lewis Street. That matters because the original prompt points people toward Bozeman-area arts listings, but the production itself is in Livingston, just outside Bozeman’s usual downtown venue orbit. So if someone assumes this is at The Ellen or another Bozeman house, they’ll head to the wrong town. (theshanecenter.org) ### When are the performances? The run starts Friday, May 1, 2026, and continues through Sunday, May 17, 2026. The Shane Center’s event listings show opening weekend performances on Friday, May 1, at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, May 2, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, May 3, at 3 p.m. That Sunday matinee is the key correction here — it’s not just a string of 7:30 p.m. performances. (theshanecenter.org) ### Who’s in it? The production is being performed by local students ages 13 to 18. That age range gives the whole thing its angle. Percy Jackson is a teen story anyway, so a teen cast isn’t just a budget choice or a training exercise — it actually fits the material. The result is more like a youth company taking on a commercially recognizable musical than kids doing a simplified version of one. (bozemanmagazine.com) ### Why this show? Because *The Lightning Thief* sits in a sweet spot for local theater. It has a built-in audience from the books and the broader Percy Jackson fandom, but it’s also flexible enough for a smaller regional stage. You get monsters, quests, comedy, and a hero story withou(bozemanmagazine.com)already know the source material. (theshanecenter.org) ### Why is the timing useful? It lands right at the start of May’s local arts calendar, which means it can function as both an event and a seasonal anchor. The Bozeman-area listings are treating it as one of the month’s notable arts offerings, and the center is giving it a sustained run instead of a single weekend. That usually signals confidence that there’s real local demand. (bozemandailychronicle.com) ### So what should people know before going? Know the town, know the dates, and know that the first Sunday is a matinee. If you’re planning around the opening weekend, the clean version is: Livingston, Shane Center, May 1–3 for the first set of performances, with the overall run ending May 17. Tickets are being routed through the Shane Center’s event listings. (theshanecenter.org) ### Bottom line? A real local run of *The Lightning Thief* is opening now in Livingston, led by teen performers and spread across multiple May dates. That makes it more substantial than the usual “one weekend only” community-theater pop-up — and easier to catch if opening night doesn’t work. (theshanecenter.org)