The production is a beloved highlight of the school year

By Bob Palermini, Ashland.news

With just over a week left in the school year, Bellview Elementary students were treated Thursday to an out-of-this-world performance of “Alien, the Musical”—a quirky and creative production put on annually by the school’s fifth-grade class.

This year brought a fresh twist to the tradition: music was added to enhance the experience and help fill the time during two scene changes. The original songs, written by a dad, were performed live by a student vocalist accompanied by a student violinist and two staff guitarists.

The production, funded by the Ashland Schools Foundation and directed by longtime organizers and teachers Angelina Tejada and Max Schmeling, is a beloved highlight of the school year. Every fifth-grade student takes part—whether as an actor, part of the tech crew, or as a set painter—based on their interests.

Held at the Bellview Grange, rented with the help of grant funding, the 20-minute show follows a spaceship crew of five as they wake from suspended sleep. After receiving a distress call from a nearby planet, they land to investigate and discover an alien, which they reluctantly bring aboard. Chaos quickly follows when a sneeze triggers the birth of a second alien, which rapidly grows into a dinosaur-like creature. A lively chase through the theater ends with the final crew member opening the airlock to eject the alien and save the day.

Tejada said the class spends about three weeks preparing for the performance, and the students’ enthusiasm, creativity, and teamwork were on full display in this year’s fun-filled show.

Sept. 1: Added information about play funding.