Stage invaders

Be cautious — aliens from outer space may be closer than you think.

Jay County Civic Theatre’s upcoming production shares precautionary tips to avoid a harsh fate with extraterrestrial life.

“Everyone Gets Abducted By Aliens: A Cautionary Tale” takes to the stage at 7 p.m. Thursday at Arts Place, with subsequent showings slated for 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.

The comedy, written by Marshall Pailet, follows characters as they act out scenarios in which otherworldly beings interfere with planet Earth. 

With everything from aliens abducting a famous fictional couple mid-picnic to unidentified flying objects flattening sentient stalks of corn, there’s a variety of visitors from outer space making their way around the planet.

“It is a very fun show, lots of opportunities for silliness,” said director Hannah Littler. “It’s a great play for kids, because I feel like it gives them a lot of agency to have fun with their characters. That’s part of why I was very excited to direct it, because I knew I was going to be able to let the kids do their thing with the characters, and they really have.”

The show’s style, Littler explained, portrays a similar feel to episodes of the 1950s and ’60s TV series “The Twilight Zone” by Rod Serling. 

    Craig Redmond plays the lead role of Conspiracy Dan in Jay County Civic Theatre’s production of “Everyone Gets Abducted By Aliens: A Cautionary Tale.” Tickets are $5 and are available at bit.ly/JCCTAliens. (The Commercial Review/Bailey Cline)

“We’re hearing the story through the eyes of Conspiracy Dan and Sweet Bonnie,” explained Littler. “Conspiracy Dan is like our storyteller, and he’s … warning Sweet Bonnie about alien life, alien activity on Earth. So we’re basically seeing different little snippets of the alien activity that’s going on on Earth that we don’t actually know about.”

Conspiracy Dan, played by 13-year-old Craig Redmond of Dunkirk, is a man who wants to warn the world about the extraterrestrial visitors before it’s too late. 

Redmond likened his character’s demeanor — a black suit, white undershirt and slicked back hair — to that of Sterling. He also noted it’s his first time in a major role, having previously performed in Jay County Civic Theatre’s productions of Disney’s “Descendants” and “Finding Nemo Jr.,” “A Christmas Story” and “The Sound of Music.”

“It’s kind of fun being the main character,” he said.

Maci Homan, 9, Portland, plays Sweet Bonnie, who is learning about alien encounters. She enjoys poking fun at her counterpart on stage.

“She acts very sweet to Conspiracy Dan but she also teases Conspiracy Dan throughout the show about himself,” explained Homan, who previously performed in “Finding Nemo Jr.” and “The Sound of Music.”

The half-hour show includes a list of various smaller roles for each skit demonstrating otherworldly experiences that Conspiracy Dan warns Sweet Bonnie about.

Blake King, 11, performs as a scientist and an ice cream shopkeeper who are each a part of some supernatural situations. Evelyn Garringer, 12, Eaton, plays Farmer Ma, Juliet and Emily, who all find themselves facing alien encounters. 

“Everybody’s just really funny,” said Garringer. “(They) do a good job of playing their characters.”

The cast began rehearsals in January. Flashing forward to today, Littler said cast members have come out of their shells.

“I feel like they’ve become a lot more confident in their stage presence,” she said. “Seeing everybody grow into their characters has been really exciting … I think the biggest growth has been with people just getting out of their boxes and having fun with the characters.”

Tickets are $5 per person and available by visiting bit.ly/JCCTAliens, calling (260) 726-4809 or visiting the Jay County Campus of Arts Place, 131 E. Walnut St., Portland.

Littler encouraged folks to come out to the show to learn more about the dangers of a potential alien invasion.

“It’s got a super important warning that everyone needs to hear about how there are aliens already on planet Earth,” she joked. “I think everyone needs to come — so they know the reality of what’s going on.”