Panto, Explained
WHAT IS A
PANTOMIME?
Fairy tales, a villain to boo, a dame in a frock and a whole theatre shouting back at the stage. Here's how panto works.
The Short Answer
PANTOMIME
MEANING
A pantomime, or panto for short, is a family stage show, traditionally put on at Christmas, that retells a fairy tale with slapstick comedy, popular songs, a comic dame played by a man, a villain the audience boos and loads of audience participation. It's a British tradition, and it's alive and well in Australia.
Don't confuse it with mime. In American English, “pantomime” usually means acting with gestures and no words. A British or Australian panto is the opposite: it's loud, it's chatty and the audience is part of the show. The word itself comes from the Greek pantomimos, a performer who imitates everything.
The Ingredients
PANTOMIME
CHARACTERS
Every panto is a different story, but the same faces turn up every year. Here they are, with a few from our own shows.
The Pantomime Dame
THE DAME
A big-hearted comic character, traditionally played by a man in outrageous frocks, wigs and make-up. She’s often the hero’s mum and she’s in on every joke. In our Rapunzel it’s the delightfully daft Dame Fanny Follicle.
The Baddie
THE VILLAIN
Every panto needs someone to boo and hiss. Tradition says the villain enters from stage left, the side of trouble. This Christmas it’s the wicked Mother Gothel; in our Sleeping Beauty it was Carabosse.
The Principal Boy
THE HERO
The hero of the story, traditionally called the principal boy and for generations played by a young woman. Plenty of modern pantos cast it either way. In Rapunzel, meet the fearless Prince Ryder.
Magic on Call
THE GOOD FAIRY
Glitter, rhyming couplets and a wand to put things right, traditionally entering from stage right. Rapunzel has the fabulous Fairy Dandruff; Sleeping Beauty had Fairy Nuff.
The Audience’s Mate
THE COMIC
The hero’s loveable, slightly hopeless friend who wins the audience over early. Think Buttons in our Cinderella, or Chester the Jester in Sleeping Beauty.
The Most Important One
THE AUDIENCE
You. Panto is the one kind of theatre where shouting at the stage is good manners. Boo the villain, cheer the hero and warn them when trouble is coming.
Join In
HE’S BEHIND
YOU!
When the villain creeps up on the hero, the whole room yells “He’s behind you!”. The hero turns the wrong way, of course, and you shout louder. It’s the most famous line in panto, and it’s the audience who gets to say it.
The rest of the call and response is just as simple. Someone on stage insists “Oh no it isn’t!” and the audience fires back “Oh yes it is!” until somebody gives up. Before the finale there’s often a sing-along, with one half of the theatre trying to out-sing the other.
- 01He’s behind you!
- 02Oh yes it is!
- 03Boo! Hiss!
- 04The sing-along
A Little History
WHERE PANTO
COMES FROM
Panto’s roots go back to the Italian commedia dell’arte, travelling comedy built on stock characters and physical clowning. By the 1700s that clowning had become the harlequinade on the London stage, and through the 1800s the Victorians turned it into the fairy-tale Christmas show families still book every year.
Along the way it picked up its signature pieces: the dame, the principal boy, topical gags about the local area and a script that leaves room for the audience. Panto travelled with British theatre to Australia, and it’s been part of Christmas in Australian theatres ever since.
Good Question
IS PANTO JUST
FOR KIDS?
Not even close. A good panto works on two levels: magic and slapstick for the kids, and cheeky double meanings that sail right over their heads for the grown-ups. That’s why three generations can sit in the same row and all have a ball.
And for adults who want the whole thing turned up to eleven, there’s the adult panto: the same traditions with no family filter. Ours was Throbbin Wood, A Very Naughty Robin Hood, strictly 18+, at the Regal Theatre in July 2026.
Panto Down Under
PANTOMIME IN
AUSTRALIA
Does Australia have pantomimes? Yes, and Perth has one every Christmas. Zealous Productions has staged a traditional Christmas pantomime at the Regal Theatre in Subiaco every December since 2021: Cinderella, Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty, Pinocchio and The Wizard of Oz. You can see them all in our past productions.
This Christmas it’s Rapunzel, at the Regal from 18 to 24 December 2026, and Peter Pan heads to The National Theatre in St Kilda for our first pantomime in Melbourne.
See one for yourself. Rapunzel, A Traditional Christmas Pantomime, is made for all ages: kids, grandparents and everyone in between.
Christmas pantomime in Perth →Good to Know
PANTO FAQS
Is pantomime the same as mime?
No. In the US, pantomime usually means mime, acting without words. A British or Australian panto is a noisy, funny Christmas show with songs, jokes and plenty of shouting from the audience.
What does “he’s behind you” mean?
It’s what the audience shouts to warn the hero that the villain (or a ghost, or a pantomime cow) is sneaking up behind them. It’s panto’s most famous line.
Why is the pantomime dame played by a man?
It’s one of panto’s oldest traditions. The dame is a comic role, and the joke is in the over-the-top costumes, the make-up and the knowing wink to the grown-ups.
How long is a pantomime?
It varies by show. Our Rapunzel runs for 2 hours, plus a 20 minute interval. See this year’s Christmas pantomime for dates and tickets.
DON'T MISS
A THING
Get on the mailing list and be the first to hear about the next panto.
Join the List