The Fringe Theatre Celebrates a Decade of Madness

The Fringe Theatre is back at the Christ Episcopal Church for a 10th weekend of fun May 2nd – 5th with another original Panto production. Alice in Oz, A Pointless Panto Mashup will have you chasing Alice on her journey down the rabbit hole and into Oz where we meet Dorothy and the whole Ozian gang for a technicolor adventure than spans dimensions! Fun for all ages, this modern take on a mashup of two classics will have you laughing, singing, and dancing in your seat.

While this show will be familiar - including many of the elements of both traditional stories - Panto brings a fresh spin with new characters, jokes, popular music, and dance numbers. The audience is a huge help to the main characters by shouting, singing, and dancing with the cast.

This is the 10th Panto production put on by The Fringe Theatre: a huge milestone for the small group. Director, Craig Truax, compiled the mashup of these two classics that he has long admired. Many elements of the show have also been influenced by previous shows; Panto fans will likely notice nods to Pantos past throughout the performance. Truax also operates as the group’s technical director, having taken over operations from founding director, Ian Hilder, upon his move back to the UK in 2013.

Hilder founded the group in 2009 to bring a taste of his home to the States. His love for this comedic form of theatre known as Panto inspired him to establish the group and welcome anyone “on the fringe” to share in this satiric, peculiarly quirky British form of family entertainment. “The idea come out of a joking conversation in a kitchen amidst much thigh slapping (it’s a Panto thing). Fast forward 18 months and I am standing at the back of the hall watching the first ever show – wondering how we had convinced 30 people to get up on stage to make fools of themselves and, even more incredibly, 200 people to come see it! And now it’s the tenth show. So proud of everyone involved and who made it into the crazy phenomenon it has become!”

For the last decade, the group has refined the concept and brought joy not only to audiences, but also to the dedicated performers that spend months creating the shows. The group is made up of local actors - adults and children alike. While the producers - Truax along with Hope Lanza and Lauren Pettiglio who have been working with the group for eight years - are constantly recruiting new members due to the different and fun nature of the shows, the core of the #PantoFam has been with the group since its inception. In fact, two of this year’s stars: Talia Joseph (Dorothy) and Patty Ascione (Sam) have appeared in every single Panto. Other Panto veterans include: Josie George (Alice), Bella George (Toto), Charlotte Varga (Britney), Luca Mancino (Cy), Ilan Barzilay (Noel Coward), Mason Kitzis (Mr. Rabbit), Gretchen Plotner (Circe), Mason Plotner (Mike), Carolyn Truax (Doorman), and Elise O’Hara (Castle Guard).

Join The Fringe Theatre and get ready for a fun and welcoming night at the theater: Alice in Oz, A Panto comes to Needham the first weekend in May. Thursday May 2nd at 7:30 pm, Friday May 3rd at 7:30 pm, Saturday May 4th at 2:30 pm and 7:30 pm, and Sunday, May 5th at 2:30pm. All performances will be held at Christ Episcopal Church at 1132 Highland Ave, Needham MA, 02494. Tickets are available at www.thefringetheatre.org/buytickets or contact [email protected].