ALICE IN WONDERLAND Panto Announced At City Theatre

City Theatre's popular presentation of British Pantos returns with Alice in Wonderland: A British Panto. In what has become a holiday tradition for City Theatre, this uproarious theatrical extravaganza is a perfect treat for the whole family. Sacramento City College professor Christine Nicholson has written this family-friendly play specifically for Sacramento. Join the Dame and her assistant, White Rabbit, in Alice's adventure down the rabbit hole but this time to Pantoland.

Alice in Wonderland: A British Panto will open on Friday, November 22 and play through Sunday, December 15. Evening performances are 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and matinees at 2:00 p.m. on Sundays, with two added Saturday matinees on November 30 and December 14 at 2:00 p.m. Performances will be held in the Art Court Theatre in the Performing Arts Center on campus at Sacramento City College, at 3835 Freeport Blvd, near Land Park in Sacramento. Ticket prices are $18 General Admission, $15 for Seniors, SARTA members, Veteran/Military and Persons with Disabilities and $10 for Students with IDs and children over six years old. Season subscriptions and Group rates are available. All details and tickets are available online at citytheatre.net or by calling 916-558-2228.

Traditionally performed at Christmas, for family audiences, British Pantomime (Panto) is now a popular form of theatre, incorporating song, dance, buffoonery, slapstick, in-jokes, audience participation, and mild innuendo. There are a number of traditional story lines, and also a fairly well-defined set of performance conventions. Following an evolution from minor acts between opera in Restoration England, in 1723 a pantomime entitled Harlequin Doctor Faustus became what is often considered the first English pantomime. Panto story lines and scripts typically make no reference to Christmas, and are almost always based on traditional children's stories, where plot lines are adapted for comic or satirical effect. The prince or leading male role is traditionally played by a young woman - the "principal boy" part - and the older woman or "pantomime dame" by a man in drag. The humor is aimed at both adult and child audiences, with innuendos for the adults that won't be picked up by the children, and some humor for the children that just might go over the adults' heads too. Audience participation with the children occurs throughout the show, as they are encouraged to "boo" the villain and "cheer" the hero.

Alice in Wonderland: A British Panto is being directed by Luther Hanson. The production will feature Rosalind Smith as Alice, Lew Rooker as the Dame, Julianna Hess as the White Rabbit, Clare Murphy as the Prince, Sarah Palmero as the Red Queen, and David Johnson as the Mad Hatter. The artistic team will include Jonathan Blum (music director), Colette Rice (vocal director), Shannon Mahoney (choreographer), Nicole Sivell (costume design), and Shawn Weinsheink (scenic design).

City Theatre is the performing arts program at Sacramento City College, part of the Los Rios Community College District, in Sacramento, California. City Theatre's season consists of four Mainstage productions, two Storytime productions for children, and the elementary school touring troupe The Pennywhistle Players. During the summer, City Theatre produces the annual Sacramento Shakespeare Festival. The company welcomes all members of the community to audition and participate in their award-winning productions.

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