Welcome to Panto !

What is Panto?

Panto (also known as Pantomime) is a British Christmas theater tradition. Pantos are loosely based on a traditional fairy tale or story and are complete with songs, dances, jokes, exaggerated characters, and lots and lots of audience participation. Panto is a wonderful way to entertain children and adults alike enlisting everyone's help to cheer on the good characters and boo the bad . And Panto always works on two levels, with plenty of clever innuendo for adults to enjoy. Panto is great entertainment for the whole family. 


If you want to know more about the art and history of Panto, follow these links.

The History of Panto

It's Behind You! - The Magic of Panto

About us

The Portland Panto Players is a non-profit community theatre group dedicated to producing authentic British Panto. Formed by Art Kohn and Jane Clark in 2017, the Players welcome all comers. The company includes a mix of amateur and semi-professional  performers who want to work as a collaborative team to create good fun for everyone, young and old, cast and crew and audience. 

OUR 2019 PRODUCTION WAS A JOYOUS SUCCESS

2019 Alice in Wonderland

2019 Alice in Wonderland

2019 Alice in Wonderland

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Our 2019 Panto was a retelling of the classic Alice In Wonderland. There was boisterous, family-friendly theater filled with slapstick, witty dialogue and a few wink-wink jokes for the adults. The show included popular songs and outrageous characters who got both kids and adults shouting, laughing, and having a wonderful time. 

The Event!

2019 Alice in Wonderland

2019 Alice in Wonderland

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Thanks Portland, for an incredible second year.  Once again we sold out every show, the audiences were loud and boisterous, and we received great reviews!  We will be back with another great panto in 2019.  

Join Us in 2020

2019 Alice in Wonderland

Join Us in 2020

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It takes a village to create a Panto, and we welcome anyone with a passion for theatre, music, or even English breakfast tea, to come join us and contribute your talent.  


If you would like to be added to join us or be added to our mailing list, Contact Us below, or email us at pdxpanto@gmail.com.   

Join Us in 2020

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Contact Us to LEARN MORE AND Get Involved

Send Message

Portland Panto Players

PO Box 61483. Vancouver WA 98666

Comments From Our 2018 Audience

  • "I liked the way the cast interacted with the audience. Had my 3 and 5 year old grandsons with me and they were captivated."
  • "That my kids could be loud and move around a bit while watching. It was so fun!! "
  • "This was my family's first panto, and we loved it."
  • "Great jokes for all the family/levels of generation. Songs were well done, great audience participation - hit all the right tones for a true British panto!"
  • "The panto format was great for my six year old son. My husband and I enjoyed the humor. And we all enjoyed the characters."
  • "I loved the audience participation. Kids didn't have to be quiet and were able to enjoy being at a play. The songs were fantastic. A great mix of entertainment for both kids and adults."
  • "The audience participation. A really fun atmosphere!"
  • "I thought you did fine work recreating the atmosphere of a traditional panto.  The pop-culture references worked and the creativity of the set was quite impressive."
  • "It was a great show!  Had all the elements of the pantomimes of my childhood in England.  True to the characters and funny too.  I have looked for a pantomime to take my kids to for years - I am so happy there is one now :)"
  • "It was so fantastic and so much fun"
  • "We had sooo much fun and it's been a longtime dream of mine to see a traditional Panto. Everyone did a great job--we loved the story and jokes and actors and costumes. I've been telling everyone about how great it was!"
  • "It was so much fun! The show was very funny, the music was great, actors were awesome. We loved that it was interactive. This was our first time at a Panto, and we will come every year from now on. I also thought that the quality of the sounds was excellent."
  • "The actors were talented and fun to watch. The actors had a lot of energy and worked really hard to put on a great show."