This year marks the 40th anniversary of sci-fi horror classic Alien, which has since inspired a slew of sequels, prequels and played a vital part in shaping the genre since. The blockbuster franchise was even the subject of a New Jersey high school’s theatrical production, titled Alien: The Play, last month. The play became the talk of the internet and even received praise from the 1979 film’s director Ridley Scott and star Sigourney Weaver.
Thanks to its viral attention, the students of North Bergen High School will be returning to the stage to reenact the space thriller for a special encore performance next week! Check out the announcement from the Alien Anthology’s Twitter below:
I don’t know about you, but I’ve never wanted to attend a high school production more! The encore performance will be returning to North Bergen, New Jersey on April 26, also known as Alien Day. That's the official day dedicated to the franchise for special releases and named after the moon that Aliens is set on, LV-426.
The general admission tickets went on sale this morning at 10 a.m. and have already sold out. However, there will be resident tickets made available in the next couple days on the North Bergen Theater and Arts Foundation website. Following the announcement on Twitter, fans have been asking for a livestream of the encore performance as well, but it’s unclear whether the production will opt for recording it so it can reach a wider audience for Alien Day.
When Alien: The Play went viral online after its initial performances on March 19 and 22, it caught the attention of Ridley Scott, who personally penned a letter to the students to show how impressed he was with their imagination and the production value on a small high school theater budget. He also included word that his production company Scott Free would be sending along some financial help for an encore performance.
Sigourney Weaver also showed her support for Alien: The Play with a video complimenting the production's amazing alien design. While the director and iconic Ripley star heard of the first performances after the fact, maybe this time they will make it out to go see it live… that is, if they can score tickets.
Proceeds from ticket sales are going back to future plays, art projects and student scholarships. The teachers involved in the production have also created a foundation to support the kids in light of all the attention Alien: The Play has been receiving.
Since the encore performance is being promoted by the Alien Anthology and 20th Century Fox, who knows, there may be more surprises to the New Jersey show come next Friday! There is still reportedly a sequel to Alien: Covenant on the way, though it looks to be still in early stages of development.
