YOUNGSTERS from Athelstaneford Primary School brought their audience everything from out of work donkeys to flying saucers at their Christmas shows this year.

Pupils from P1 to P3 presented their nativity musical, The Donkey Seller, on Monday, which told the tale of six unemployed donkeys who by the end of the show had each been sold to reach a special event in Bethlehem.

They were followed by close encounters of the alien kind in P4-7’s Christmas Presence.

The senior pupils show, about visitors from the planet Glagaplick, saw an alien ship narrowly missed by what appeared to be a shower of meteorites, which on closer inspection turned out to be angels descending on an obscure village in the Middle East – for the birth of a baby.

They investigated the birth, calling on their Time Travel Department to find out what happened to the baby when he grew up.

Christmas Presence started with a young girl waking in her bed on Christmas morning and putting on a DVD which was the story of the aliens.

Maja Semple, aged nine, who played the role, said: “It was exciting to be in and cool how we had the proper lighting.

“It was good to have a different story apart from the nativity.

“We had two scenes going on, one in a spaceship and one in a bedroom. I played someone who was in their bedroom on Christmas morning. I woke and there were no presents so I started watching a DVD which became the rest of the play.” Headteacher Iain Devereux praised his pupils, many of whom had to learn long and difficult dialogues for the performances.

He said: “This year we really pushed the boat out, aiming for a piece of real theatre.

“With a full lighting rig, a large set and countless computer keyboards around the spaceship, we had our hands full.

“It’s been a lot of fun, but also a great educational experience.

“The pupils have been learning the language of theatre and can now tell you about auditioning, upstage, downstage and prompt side.

“I take my hat off to the children, who have learned some very long soliloquies.” And six-year-old Hannah Fleetwood, who played Mary in The Donkey Seller revealed she also had fun onstage. She said: “I felt really good. I like wearing a shawl. I laughed when the kings were fighting with their camels.”