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Student Opinion

What Show Do You Wish Your School Would Stage?

Xavier Perez as the xenomorph in the North Bergen High School drama club production of “Alien: The Play.” Credit...Perfecto Cuervo

A New Jersey high school has found itself the unexpected recipient of online acclaim and viral attention for its recent stage production of “Alien,” the 1979 science-fiction thriller.

If you were able to choose the next theatrical production your school would take on, what would you choose? Dream big: It can be a perennial, like “Our Town” or “Annie,” or it could be a movie or book (or TV show, comic book, song or … ) that you’d love to see adapted to the stage.

In “High School ‘Alien’ Production Wins Internet Raves,” Dave Itzkoff writes:

“Alien: The Play,” presented last weekend by the drama club of North Bergen High School, starred a cast of eight students in the film roles originally played by Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt and Ian Holm.

Whereas the movie had a budget in the range of about $10 million, “Alien: The Play” had costumes, props and set designs made mostly from donated and recycled materials.

Both the film and the stage adaptation feature a nightmarish extraterrestrial designed by the artist H.R. Giger — played, in this production, by a high school student.

“Alien: The Play” is the brainchild of Perfecto Cuervo, an English teacher at the school and the moderator of its drama club, and Steven Defendini, an art teacher there.

Last year, the two teachers worked together on a student staging of “Night of the Living Dead,” the George Romero zombie movie. This past summer, they started to plan a follow-up.

As Mr. Cuervo recalled their conversation, he said, “Do you think we can do ‘Alien’ as a play?” It seemed to require few sets, he said: “We have a spaceship. We have a planet. It could be handled.”

Mr. Defendini said he answered, “I don’t know how to do that. I don’t know if we can do that. But we’re going to do that.”

The article goes on to describe how the high school production went viral:

“Alien: The Play” has drawn widespread praise on social media; an official promotional Twitter account for the “Alien” franchise said, “We are impressed! 40 years and still going strong …” and “Bravo!

The comedian Patton Oswalt wrote, “This is fantastic. Blows my high school’s adaptation of PINK FLAMINGOS out of the water.”

An online trailer has received more than 130,000 views on YouTube, and the production was covered on news sites like The Verge and The AV Club.

Mr. Defendini pointed out that a tweet about “Alien: The Play,” posted by Leslye Headland, a co-creator of the Netflix series “Russian Doll,” had been liked by Joss Whedon, the writer and director of “The Avengers.”

That, he said, was sufficient validation for the students.

“For them, that’s enough, to be acknowledged by their favorite movie director,” Mr. Defendini said. “For a bunch of high school kids, I can’t imagine what it’s like to see how much recognition they’re getting for seven months of hard work.”

Students, read the entire article, then tell us:

— What’s your reaction to North Bergen High School’s stage production of “Alien?” What impresses you most about their production? What details stand out from the article? Would you want to see this show?

— Have you ever taken part in a school theater production? If you have, what was your experience like? What role did you play? Does this article make you want to participate in a theater production — in school or out?

— What production would you like your school to adapt or perform? Why do you think it would make a great show? What difficulties do you anticipate in bringing this production to your school’s stage?

— How much live theater have you seen? What are some of your most memorable moments as an audience member? Why?

Students 13 and older are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

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