School's out for the summer - well almost - and the pupils of a number of primary schools in Strabane will and have taken to the stage in the Alley to mark their end of year.

Making their debut on the big stage are pupils of Gaelscoil Uí Dhochartaigh, St Mary's PS, Cloghcor and St. Columba's PS in Clady.

Last Thursday was the big night for Cloughcor school with their hilarious show, "Panto Pandemonium."

Patrons saw the Wicked Witch (played by Niamh Haughey) determined to rule Pantoland by extracting the magic from three magic objects, namely the glass slipper from Cinderella, the magic lamp from Aladdin and the beanstalk from Jack and the Beanstalk.

The story then becomes a quest by the Good Fairy (played by Maeve Doherty) and four children to locate these objects and retrieve them from the Wicked Witch and so return Pantoland to happy times. Will the wicked witch win the battle for Pantoland or will our heroes prevail?

This was the first time this local primary school have attempted to put on a show in a professional theatre, so the staff and teachers were excited to be performing on the famous Alley stage.

Sean Haughey, a teacher involved in producing the show stated "We have experience of Christmas shows in school that have been very successful and attracted large audiences but this is a step into the unknown for all concerned though we are confident that our pupils will prove well up to the task and produce a show worthy of the excellent setting of the Alley Theatre.

"We are indebted to a number of sponsors who have provided financial support allowing us to publish a professional programme that will be provided free of charge to all who attend the show as well as proving a memorable keepsake for all the young actors and singers as they shortly move on to secondary school."

This Thursday and Friday night, June 26th and 27th,

Gaelscoil Uí Dhochartaigh is set to become the first school or drama group to ever to grace a professional stage within Strabane and perform a full show in the native Irish language.

Seán agus an Gas Pónaire (Jack and the Beanstalk), will feature all of the children who attend the Gaelscoil in this hilarious pantomime about poor Jack and his magic beans and his amazing journey to the land of giants.

Directed by celebrated local actor/writer/director, Aodh McCay, the pupils have been busy working hard at pulling together this fantastic school show since May, and have uncovered some fantastic actors and actresses who will surely have the audience demanding more by the end of the night.

"This will have you splitting your sides laughing as you take in the visual comedy and fast flowing production of this show. I must say the kids are working really hard and I know everyone connected to the school and the children involved in the show will be tremendously proud of their performance," said Aodh.

The show will be performed in Irish although for non-Irish speakers there will be subtitles at certain stages and with the "slapstick" of pantomime there will be plenty of fun and comedy for everyone to enjoy - with or without a fluency in the language.

And later next month, aliens from Clady will be sent to invade the Alley!

The pupils of St. Columba's are busy rehearsing for their production of 'Save our Planet' written by the principal, Mrs Maguire and the pupils in Year 7.

The show explores two important themes: caring for our environment and the effects of climate change. Messages about recycling and reducing global emissions are gently worked into a fun and engaging storyline about the bringing together of Earth and a fictional planet. The show centres on, Zac, the alien from a faraway planet, which is slowly dying and it seems to be caused by 'dirty gases' from planet Earth. An alien mission is sent to Earth to sort it out. With the help of two Earthling 'eco-warriors' the news is cleverly publicised on world television. Will Zac and his earthling friends save the planet?

The school was awarded the 'Green Flag' last week under the prestigious nationwide Eco-School scheme. In the words of one Year 7 pupil, Erin Campbell: 'Our production of 'Save our Planet' displays how the pupils of St Columba's PS are young eco-warriors whose aim is to protect our environment for the future.' Another Year 7 pupil, Bronach Lafferty agreed; 'We are all really excited about performing our production in the Alley Theatre and we have had a lot of fun rehearsing our lines and practising the songs and dances.'

To book tickets for the shows, contact the Alley Theatre Box office on 028 7138 4444 or book online at www.alley-theatre.com"