Director and Co-Writer Pete Pryor on the Panto Today

90% of the Panto is variety show, the other half is musical. Every year at this time our family at People’s light comes together to create, satirize, and showcase our homegrown silliness. Why? Well, as the Genius of the ring states, “it basically boils down to this - communication, validation and celebration.” The panto form, at its best, is a celebration of difference. This year we chose to reexamine our Aladdin from five years ago. Why should we do this Panto now? What would be our hero’s journey this time around and how can we have Aladdin and his pals grow into those strange creatures known as teenagers? How can we bring our bad guy up to 2017 and given the current state of affairs is that even a wise choice? These are the questions that challenged us as we reimagined our beloved Paolistein. I think we do this ridiculous yearly tradition to create a community. To be engaged with a group of people in one big room for a brief moment of time, all sharing the same experience and hopefully reveling in one another’s foolishness. I think that is why we do it. That’s why I do it. So, while you are here, please make some noise, Cheer! Boo! Sing! Or just watch it pass, your choice. And remember… “You can observe a lot by watching” ~ Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra