The holidays at People’s Light offer a mix of festive fantasias and family celebrations, always made specifically for our community.

Holiday Pantos

With a long theatrical history dating back to commedia dell’arte of the 16th century, the Twelfth Night holiday, the Festival of Fools, and Epiphany, the British pantomime remains one of Great Britain’s most popular theatre forms.

The cast of CINDERELLA: A MUSICAL PANTO, 2018. The cast of LITTLE RED ROBIN HOOD: A MUSICAL PANTO, 2019. Photos by Mark Garvin.

Traditionally performed around the winter holidays, a panto takes a well-known fairy tale or children’s story—such as Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, or Robin Hood—and turns it on its ear, flips it inside out, to include signature panto elements that audiences of all ages have come to relish:

  • Topical jokes and pop culture satire
  • Music and dancing
  • An all-knowing, often gender-playful guide who ushers the audience through the story
  • "Skin roles," animal pals who help our hero in their adventures
  • A comic duo
  • A "messy bit" or slapstick routine with something wet, gooey, or slippery
  • A "candy bit" in which the actors throw treats into the audience
  • And audience participation! The crowd is encouraged to cheer the heroes, boo the bad guys, and even argue with characters onstage.

Since 2004, People’s Light has created and staged our own unique spin on the British pantomime, always with original music. More family-friendly than many of its antecedents in the United Kingdom, the People’s Light panto reimagines classic tales, re-sets them in our backyard and our time. They ricochet with references to familiar places, people, and things, and invite audiences 5 to 105 to enter into an enchanting world where we cheer the heroes, boo the villains, sing along to silly songs, and catch some candy.

Ready for an adventure?

The creative team behind Alice in Wonderland: A Musical Panto invites you to explore the whimsical world of Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, and Captain Hook! People’s Light continues its winter holiday tradition with a cast of Lost Boys, pirates, fairies, and a trio of card-playing dogs. Meanwhile, a TikTok-famous croc is on the loose, hunting down dance moves, followers, and Captain Hook’s right hand. Cheer the heroes, boo the villains, clap, and sing while eating all the Swedish Fish you can catch. Join Wendy, Michael, and John in this “Darling” trip to Neverland for ages 5-105.

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Pantos through the Years: 

Peter Panto: A Musical Panto (2024/2025)

Alice in Wonderland: A Musical Panto (2022/2023)

Little Red Robin Hood: A Musical Panto (2019/2020)

Cinderella: A Musical Panto (2018/2019)

Aladdin: A Musical Panto (2017/2018)

Sleeping Beauty: A Musical Panto (2016/2017)

The Three Musketeers (The Later Years): A Musical Panto (2015/2016)

Arthur and the Tale of the Red Dragon: A Musical Panto (2014/2015)

Cinderella: A Musical Panto (2013/2014)

Aladdin: A Musical Panto (2012/2013)

Treasure Island: A Musical Panto (2011/2012)

The Three Musketeers (The Later Years): A Musical Panto (2010/2011)

Snow White: A Musical Panto (2009/2010)

Cinderella: A Musical Panto (2008/2009)

Treasure Island (2007/2008)

Robin Hood: A Panto (2006/2007)

Jack & the Beanstalk: An American Panto (2005/2006)

Sleeping Beauty: A Comic Panto in the British Style (2004/2005) 

Jamison Stern, Courter Simmons, Devon Sinclair, Anna Faye Lieberman, Mary Elizabeth Scallen, Connor McAndrews, Tiara Whaley, Page Whitman, Liz Filios. Photo by Mark Garvin.

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