A high school production of the 1979 cult classic sci-fi horror film “Alien” so impressed audiences in its limited run last week that encore performances are now planned.

>> Read more trending news

"Alien: The Play" by North Bergen High School students received such rave reviews and viral attention after its premiere on March 19, North Bergen Mayor Nick Sacco has pledged money from his nonprofit foundation to fund more performances, according to NewJersey.com.

“All of North Bergen is proud of the incredibly creative and inventive play our students created, and it’s only right that they have the opportunity to perform it one more time now that it has gained such notoriety,” Sacco said in a statement. “I’m excited that our foundation can play a role in making this happen and I can’t wait to watch ‘Alien’ and see our students shine.”

Students started working on the production last September and used any materials they could find to create the scary alien space set.

Drama teacher Perfecto Cuervo gave most of the credit to art teacher Steven Defendini, who he said was the mastermind behind the set design, NewJersey.com reported.

The show made a big splash on social media, including comments from Gov. Phil Murphy and the official “Alien’” Twitter account, among many others.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Collect candy, play carnival games for prizes and do more not-so-scary stuff at Boo at the Zoo at Zoo Atlanta on Saturday and Sunday. (Courtesy of Zoo Atlanta)

Credit: Photo courtesy of Zoo Atlanta

Featured

Members of the conversion crew take a break as the main scoreboard is lowered to the floor to be worked on as the arena gets ready for the next concert at State Farm Arena, Thursday, October 2, 2025, in Atlanta. The crew was working on creating a stage for the Friday, Oct. 3 Maxwell concert. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com