It's also a labor of love for district music specialist Margie Alejandro, who wrote the script and the music for the fantasy production last year.

The story is deeply personal for Alejandro, who says much of who she is is reflected in the play. "All of it has touches of me in it, the humor in it, the beauty in it," Alejandro said. "I'm a hopeless romantic."

In the story, the importance of dreams is a common theme, as is the mother-child bond; Alejandro says dreams carry much weight in her own life and she was extremely close to her mother.

In the play, the characters—good and evil—became that way because of their parents' child-rearing tactics, mirroring Alejandro's own beliefs as a parent. She wrote in villainous characters, however, because, she says, "I think children need to be exposed to that."

Writing The Lost King of Ithiris also served as a journey of self-discovery and learning for Alejandro. "It's a passage for me," she said. "I think it's going to change the way that I'm going to teach." The experience has renewed in Alejandro her love for composing and writing—the teacher hopes to rework The Lost King of Ithiris into a book and then create two sequels.

After the school year ends, Alejandro plans to step back from the school performing arts scene. She will still be the music teacher for the district's three elementary schools, but she will no longer direct Redwood's musicals or work on arts-integrated teaching materials, instead focusing on her own writing and composing.

The musical opens with an afternoon and evening performance on Sunday, April 27, and has shows the following Thursday through Saturday, May 1­3.

Alejandro wrote the story for the show, her third original composition, sitting on the beach one day last summer. "The primary reason I wrote this musical was because I was having difficulty finding something age-appropriate," Alejandro said.

According to Alejandro, many of the existing musicals have adult content inappropriate for middle-schoolers, while many of the schoolchildren-oriented plays are for younger students.

"I wanted it to be intelligent because kids are smart, and yet I don't think they need that adult material," Alejandro said. "I'm glad I did this. I hope it's a contribution for a lot of people."

The end product is a Renaissance-era fantasy fiction that incorporates names such as Theris, Ashalowae, Nalthor and Alladria; costumes with flowing sleeves; a sword fight; and 21 original musical numbers. The tale is one about love and royalty, good and evil, secrets and truth.

"I'm one of those, 'Let it end happy' people," Alejandro said, "because I was raised on fairy tales."

Auditions were held in October, and all 135 students who auditioned were given a role. "For a middle school, you need to approach it differently," Alejandro said.

The group was divided into two casts and has been rehearsing four days a week since January. "I mixed experienced with not experienced, eighth-graders with sixth-graders" to encourage social interaction, Alejandro said. "Whatever part a child had, they had to feel like it was important."

"Playing Queen Inara is really fun because she's strong and smart and brave," said eighth-grader Kristin Gochnauer. "Being onstage is such a rush. It's just so cool when the audience laughs at the funny parts and you can tell that they're nervous during the sword fights."

Seventh-grader Ted Sclavos was given the role of Prince Issel. Acting, he said, "makes you work a little harder. Especially since it's an original musical—you have to create the character."

"It helps me get less shy because I'm active in front of a whole lot of people. It makes me less uncomfortable to be in front of people," Sclavos said. "I told my mom that the minute I end college, I'm going to Hollywood."

"I love being onstage. It's like being another person," said eighth-grader Melody Miller, who is the other cast's Queen Inara. "The time put in is totally worth the show."

"It's like you're telling a story, but in a whole different way," said eighth-grader Sarah Thermond, acting as Queen Alladria. Thermond added, "It's cool to be able to be the first kids that get to perform in the play."

Queen Baga is the mother of the evil Prince Lorak, and eighth-grader Marley Teter was given her part. "My character is Queen Brat, I suppose. She's annoying and selfish," Teter said.

Teter will be wearing a long purple dress with bell sleeves that she had made as a Halloween costume last year. "I'm probably one of the only kids that is wearing a costume that they made themselves," Teter said.

The story "is unexpected. A lot of it is pretty sad, but it has a good ending," said eighth-grader Emily Harter, who plays Cirine. "I can't wait to perform what we've been working so hard on since October."

Not only have the students been working hard, but parents have also invested time and energy into the production. Parent volunteers have served as costume makers, set designers and producers. "Everybody's just been incredible," Alejandro said.

The three producers—Cathie Thermond, Joy Miller and Vicki Gochnauer—are in charge of administrative tasks such as creating the program, coordinating volunteers, balancing the budget and keeping track of students' attendance.

Thermond, who was the producer for the past two years, said she got involved because she's seen "how very, very important the performing arts are to young people." She added, "It's been a wonderful opportunity for my daughter to pursue something that she has a great interest in."

Miller said being a producer is "a huge time commitment," but working with the kids and Alejandro makes it worthwhile. "I like that the show is a fresh idea and appropriate for middle schoolers. It's a fantasy good versus evil. Who doesn't like those kind of things?" Miller said.

"It's a lot of fun, but it's a lot of work, too," Gochnauer said. "This year, seeing something brand-new blossom from nothing to something—it's Margie's vision, but probably everybody who's working on it is shaping it."

Alejandro "values the kids. Every one of the participants is important to her. Every role is important to her," Gochnauer said.

"She's a great director, and she helps me out with anything," Sclavos said. "She makes everyone in the cast feel good about themselves, even if they have a small role. She makes everyone feel like they have a big role."

Sarah Thermond agrees. Alejandro works with each student on his or her role but isn't too tough on the student, Thermond said. "She has so much energy, and she's always so upbeat."

"I love Mrs. A. She's kind of like my mother at school," Teter said. "She's fun and creative and bright."

"She encourages kids to always do their best, and she always sees the bright side of things," Harter added.

Alejandro says she takes a positive approach to teaching, where she encourages students and affirms them.

"If you tell kids in the beginning how wonderful they are, how you've seen in them good things, they're easier to work with and they're more cooperative," Alejandro said. "I think theater is a place where everyone needs to go at least once in their lives."