The Lightning Thief Cast

Edie Balester (Annabeth Chase) is a junior musical theater BFA major here at SIU and is thrilled to be a part of The Lightning Thief! You may have previously seen her in Philoten, and her pattern of painful adventures (Marina), She Loves Me (Ensemble), and The Bridges of Madison County (Carolyn Johnson). Edie would like to thank the cast and crew of The Lightning Thief for bringing this incredible story to life. Instagram: @ediebalester

Israeli Jones is a 20 year old musical theater BFA junior from Cairo, Illinois. You may have seen her in the School of Music’s production of “Old Maid and the Thief”,as Lula Greene in “The Wedding Band”, and as an ensemble member in shows such as "She Loves Me" and this summer in McLeod Summer Playhouse in "The Prom”, and “Hello Dolly”. She can’t wait for you guys to see this extremely powerful cast put on this amazing show!

Ameriah Lockett (Grover + Mr. D) is a sophomore BFA Musical Theatre major at SIU(C). You may have seen her in FIERCE’s production of The Spelling Bee 2023 (Mitch), Big Muddy's production of The Black Paradox 2024 (Ms. Ebony) and this summer in McLeod Summer Playhouse's production of Dragons Love Tacos (White Dragon). Ameriah is very excited to tell this story for her first performance on the McLeod stage. She thanks her professors, family and friends for being there for her when she needed them. Enjoy the show!

Credits under SIU Theatre include Beth (Little Women), Sophie (Murphy’s Law of Pretenders), Rona Lisa (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), Ensemble (She Loves Me), Lychorida (Philoten and Her Pattern of Painful Adventures). Sending love and light to Angela, Emily, Lydia, the cast and crew of The Lightning Thief, and her eternally supportive family!

Abby Ohlau is a senior BFA Musical Theater student at SIUC and she is so excited to be in this production. You may have seen her in MSP’s production of Godspell or in SIFest’s productions of Ernani and La Rondine. Other notable roles include Jane Doe in Ride the Cyclone, Marmee March in Little Women, Company in Sondheim Tribute Review. Abby wants to thank her family and friends for their endless support, and she hopes you have a blast experiencing this amazing story! Instagram: abby.ohlau

Kaitlyn Rose (Luke/Gabe/Ares/Minotaur/Mozart/DJ Cerberus) is a sophomore Musical Theatre BFA student at Southern Illinois University Carbondale and is thrilled to be a part of the amazing cast of The Lightning Thief! Other acting credits include Ti Moune (Once on This Island), Deloris Van Cartier (Sister Act: A Divine Musical Comedy), Blind Mouse/Dragonette/Sleeping Beauty (Shrek: The Musical), Margot (Legally Blonde), and Julia Augustine (Wedding Band). Kaitlyn would like to thank her parents, Camille and Paul, her friends, and her boyfriend for supporting her throughout her theater career and ensuring she is loved no matter what. Kaitlyn also hopes everyone enjoys the show!

Sydney (Percy Jackson) is a senior in SIUC's BFA Musical Theater program. She has performed in the ensemble of the 2024 McLeod Summer Playhouse productions of Hello, Dolly! and The Prom. In 2022, she performed in Godspell and was an audio engineer of the 2023 season's Footloose. At SIU, in the 23/24 season, she appeared in Ride the Cyclone and sound board operator on She Loves Me. IG: Sydney.ryan.adkison