Guide to the Gods:
ZEUS: The Greek god of thunder and lightning, and the king of Mount Olympus. Zeus represented the Greek religion; to the Greeks, Zeus was a symbol of justice.
HADES: The Greek god of the Underworld, and Kronos’ eldest son. Along with his brothers, Zeus and Poseidon, Hades ruled over the cosmos after he and his siblings defeated their father in battle.
HERMES: The Greek god of transitions and boundaries, Hermes is most well-known as the messenger of god.
ARES: The Greek god of war. The male counterpart to Athena, Ares represented the violence and direct aggression of war.
DEMETER: The Greek goddess of agriculture, grain, fertility, and the harvest.
APHRODITE: The Greek goddess of love and beauty.
CHIMERA: A greek monster comprised of a goat’s body, a lion’s head, and a serpent’s (snake’s) tail.
SATYR: Half-human, and half-goat. Satyrs were pleasure-indulging creatures closely associated with Dionysus – the god of wine, ecstasy and Theatre!
MINOTAUR: A monster with the torso of a human and the head, tail, and legs of a bull.
CHARON: Not to be confused with Chiron! Charon was the ferryman to the Underworld; just like in the musical, Charon charged a fee to deliver the deceased from our world to the Underworld.
CERBERUS: The three-headed dog charged with guarding the underworld and preventing the deceased from leaving – like Fluffy in Harry Potter!
KRONOS: The youngest of the Titans, and father to several of the Olympians, including Poseidon, Zeus, and Hades.
Questions
for the Car:
•What talent or ability of yours could actually be a super power in disguise? Do you read quickly? Make great cookies? Vibe with every dog you meet?
• Why do you think the writers of this musical decided to use rock music to tell this story?
• If you were suddenly a god or demigod, what pop or rock song would be your theme when walking into a room?
• What is a talent you see in your parent or caregiver that you hope you inherit?
Popular Greek myth references in contemporary culture:
Can you match the modern logo/icon with it’s Greek Myth Origins?
Goddess of victory
The 12 gods that defeated the Titans
Games held every 4 years to honor Zeus
God of grain
Nike, The Goddess of Victory
The Olympic games were held every 4 years to honor Zeus
Olympia is named after Mount Olympus, which was named after the 12 gods that defeated the Titans
Ceres is the god of grain, which is where the term cereal came from.
Meet Percy - Chloe Swanson:
1) How old were when you first started acting and/or singing? Do you remember your first role?
I’ve been singing and acting probably since I was around seven years old, my first role was in a children’s production called “Hats: The Musical,” as a part of the summer program called Creative Theatre Experience, and we preformed at Olympia High school’s theater.
2) What did you do when you found out you were cast as Percy?
Celebrate with my family (with a little bit of convincing myself that it was real).
3) What is your most technically difficult song to sing in the show? OR What was the hardest scene to do in the show?
I don’t think any song is particularly hard, but all the running around in Son of Poseidon definitely raises my heart rate.
4) What do you hope people take away from this story and your performance?
I truly hope that people can take away from the story that sometimes being different isn’t a bad thing, and that you’re not alone no matter how much it feels that way. I also just hope that people can walk out of the performance saying that they had fun!
About the Book Series:
Rick Riordan – Author
Rick Riordan is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of over twenty novels for young readers, including the Percy Jackson book series. For fifteen years, Rick taught English and history at public and private middle schools in the San Francisco Bay Area and in Texas. While teaching in San Antonio, Saint Mary’s Hall honored him with the school’s first Master Teacher Award. Riordan turned to children’s fiction when he started creating THE LIGHTNING THIEF as a bedtime story for his oldest son!
The Percy Jackson and the Olympians novels are set in a world with the Greek gods in the 21st century. They follow the protagonist Percy Jackson, a young demigod who must prevent the Titans, led by Kronos, from destroying the world. To date, there are 5 books in the series. The musical focuses on the first book in the series. 12-year- old Percy Jackson is on the most dangerous quest of his life. With the help of a satyr and a daughter of Athena, Percy must journey across the United States to catch a thief who has stolen the original weapon of mass destruction — Zeus’ master bolt.
GREEK MYTHOLOGY
Greek myths are written or oral stories that date back more than 2,700 years ago! The myths deal with the creation of the gods and the world, the struggle among the gods for supremacy and the triumph of Zeus, the love affairs and quarrels of the gods, and the effects of their adventures and powers on the mortal world, including their link with natural phenomena e.g. thunderstorms or the seasons.
Neurodiversity and Percy Jackson:
The stories of Percy Jackson are notable for featuring a neurodiverse lead character – in fact, all of the demigods have ADHD. Neurodiversity is the term used for the whole range of differences in individual brain function and behavioral traits occurring in common human life. Grover tells Percy that ADHD makes him inattentive, but also points out that his restlessness makes him want to get up and go! The character of Percy illustrates the real-life struggle facing individuals with ADHD and dyslexia: he has some truly fantastic strengths and some noticeable weaknesses. Percy can hyperfocus to accomplish important tasks, but gets easily distracted in English class. His dyslexia makes it impossible to read English, but he can decipher the mysterious meaning of Greek phrases. These contradicting experiences are confusing to him and make him feel like an outsider. However, Percy learns to accept all of his gifts and flaws in the story. It is no coincidence author Rick Riordan’s own son also had ADHD and dyslexia, and this story was used to bolster his confidence as a growing teen!
