Audiences flock to theaters to laugh, cry and escape the world through immersive storytelling. However, theater is also a tool for artists to learn, build connections and form long-lasting communities. Live Arts, a theater organization founded in 1989, is proof of that. The community theater is committed to bringing people together through a shared passion for theater. Through their plays, musicals, camps and workshops, Live Arts connects people of all ages, all across Charlottesville as they direct, produce, build sets for and perform in some simply incredible shows.
This summer, the team at Live Arts built a new kind of community amongst an entire world full of magic and monsters tucked away at 123 East Water Street, where the organization is located. In the theater, young thespians from across Charlottesville expressed their passion for theater as they brought author Rick Riordan’s story “The Lightning Thief” to the stage to tell the ever-famous tale of Percy Jackson.
The story being told this summer was a classic — the “Percy Jackson” series is beloved amongst young adults across the world ever since its initial book release in 2005. The cast and crew told this exciting tale around six months after the release of the Disney+ “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series. The series was a new take on the film adaptation of the book, released in 2010.
The jam-packed story was adapted into a musical in 2017 and tells of a young Percy Jackson — portrayed in the Live Arts production by actor Connor Michael — who embarks on a journey to retrieve Zeus’s lightning bolt and save his mother from the underworld after finding out that he is the son of the Greek god Poseidon.
As he sets out on this expedition, audience members and cast members alike find themselves reveling in the magic of Greek mythology alongside a host of exciting characters — including Grover, a half-human, half-goat, and Annabeth, the daughter of Athena. This exciting plot lends itself well to the overall goal of the Live Arts community, which is that young people have fun when watching and creating productions.
Moreover, the community that the characters find within the story mirrors the community that the cast members found at Live Arts throughout the duration of the show’s creation.
Director Daniel Kunkel and music director Abby Smith — two long standing members of the Live Arts community — led the cast and crew during the making of the show. While the mythological creatures, Oracles, gods and goddesses made for a magical story onstage, magic also happened offstage during the show’s creation. As the cast and crew came together to put on this production, they took strides to fulfill Live Arts’s mission — to preserve theater education in Charlottesville. This impact stands out as one of the most extraordinary aspects of this show’s run.
Student performer Jacob Walton, who plays Mr. D in “The Lightning Thief,” also spotlighted the welcoming and comforting environment that the organization provides in a written statement. Walton attested to the success of the directorial team’s tactics, emphasizing the welcoming and encouraging nature of the Live Arts community as a whole.
“My favorite part of the Live Arts community is how uplifting and understanding everyone is,” Walton said. “[Live Arts] always feels welcoming to anyone who walks in the door.”
Kunkel — who previously directed the program’s production of “Heathers” in 2023 — explained that the directorial team for this show wanted to make sure that the students were enjoying their experience above all else.
According to Kunkel, it was important that the students developed a love for performing rather than a desire to please the directorial team — as expressed by their directorial tactics that center creativity. By implementing this teaching philosophy in this show and others, Kunkel and the rest of the team continue to foster a community that students want to return to season after season.
“They want to keep coming back because an environment where you feel supported [and] where you’re learning is always, always the right move,” Kunkel said.
Kunkel expressed that cast members from past shows return to Live Arts often to watch performances, even if they are not actively participating in any shows. No matter if they are singing their hearts out on stage or supporting their former castmates amongst a sea of cheering audience members, Kunkel said the community remains incredibly strong and long-lasting.
To cultivate an environment that encourages comfort and long-term enjoyment, Kunkel uses an exercise called a “blind run” during his productions. In this exercise, students run the show without the directorial team present. Though the stage manager stays in the room with them, the rest of the leadership team waits outside and provides them with the privacy they need to focus on their own performances rather than the expectations of others.
Kunkel explained that without the director, music director or choreographer in the room to watch, students tend to feel more comfortable making bold choices that often translate well into performances in front of an audience. According to Kunkel, students' comfort and ability to make choices that excite them can deepen their love for the craft, making theater seem less like a job and more like the creative outlet it is meant to be.
“I tell [actors] this — If you guys are having fun and you really feel like it’s yours, that’s a win,” Kunkel said.
While glowing reviews from current cast members shine a bright light on the community’s mission, former cast members of Live Arts productions tout a similar sentiment. Second-year Engineering student Soren Corbett was involved in Live Arts a great deal as a young person growing up in Charlottesville, acting in past productions such as “Heathers” and “Into the Woods.” Though he was not involved in this summer’s production, his connection to the Live Arts community remains incredibly strong.
“I felt very welcomed and very supported by all the people there,” Corbett said, “They always check in on you whenever they can.”
Corbett said that students are not the only members of the Live Arts community that continue to maintain their connections to the theater. Adults from across Charlottesville audition for other shows and participate in the crew as well.
“I think the fact that they also have a community that brings adults back continuously — even with their work schedules and everything — is also a testament to how strong of a community that Live Arts built in general,” Corbett said.
Kunkel, Smith and the rest of the Live Arts team are actively trying to shift the attitude that theater needs to be stressful or competitive. Rather, it can be an activity that fosters strong relationships and sparks true joy. Live Arts wants students to take their final bows at the end of an exciting run with the feeling that this is something that they want to continue participating in — whether that be from the stage or from afar.
While Percy Jackson may be packing his bags and leaving Charlottesville for now, Live Arts will remain an important pillar of the arts community here, fulfilling their decades long mission of educating and uplifting students — one performance at a time.
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