PORTSMOUTH — The assembly room at Melville Elementary School was filled with life-sized teapots, forks, knives, clocks and more during its recent production of the musical, “Beauty and the Beast.”

The musical was the creation of The Theater Bug, an afterschool musical theater program created by teacher Farah Martin and supported by fellow teachers Vincent LaSalle and Amy Hart. The program is hosted at the school with the support of the Melville Parent Teacher Group, and is in its second year of musical theater productions. 

The Theater Bug consists of students in second through fourth grades. The bar is set high to be in this program and the students have exceeded the expectations every time, according to its founders. 

“Musical theater positively impacts students by enhancing their peer relations, creative thinking, self-confidence, cooperation, oral communication skills, self-image, leadership abilities, sense of community, academic performance, and self-esteem,” the school stated in a press release. “We are proud to have The Theater Bug here at Melville Elementary School.”