HELD OVER TO JANUARY 11TH!
HELD OVER TO JANUARY 11TH!
About the East Van Panto
Since 2013, Theatre Replacement has been creating and producing the East Van Panto in partnership with The Cultch. Our first Panto, Jack and the Beanstalk: An East Van Panto, reopened the historic York Theatre in 2013. Since then, the production has grown into a beloved holiday tradition for hundreds of local families, now welcoming over 16,000 patrons each year.
With a rotating and ever-expanding roster of artists, designers and technicians, the Panto strives to honour the traditions we’ve established while remaining a fresh and vital reflection of the East Vancouver community we love. Past and present Panto company members include Charlie Demers, Veda Hille, Amiel Gladstone, Stephen Drover, Anita Rochon, Meg Roe, Sonja Bennett, Mark Chavez, Allan Zinyk, Jiv Parasram, Christine Quintana, Dawn Petten, Raugi Yu, Andrew McNee, Chirag Naik, Donna Soares, Steffanie Davis, Rachel Aberle, Munish Sharma, Ming Hudson, Jason Sakaki, Amanda Sum, June Mirochnick, Marcus Youssef, Jan Hodgson, Yvonne Yip, Tracey Power, Amanda Testini, Ruth Bruhn, Emma Hammond, Adrian Muir, Barbara Clayden, Cindy Mochizuki, Laura Zerebeski, Sophie Tang, Drew Facey and Marina Szijarto, among many others.
What is a Panto?
Panto (short for Pantomime) is a tradition of holiday musical comedy. Popularized in England in the early 19th Century, Pantomime takes familiar fairy tales and injects music, contemporary references, and audience participation to create raucous, noisy entertainment that’s fun for everyone in the family. Our Panto takes inspiration from this classic form, but adds a uniquely East Van twist; a new, local tradition you and your family are invited to make your own!
Why Panto now?
We have a running joke that everything we know about Panto, we learned from Wikipedia. It’s actually true — when we first started to build the East Van Panto, we leaned heavily on the basic ideas of the classical form. Over the years, our Panto has really become its own form, allowing us to make it quite unique, hyper-local and singular. Our Pantos are new and built from scratch each year! We are constantly looking for playful ways of stretching the content of a well-known story to become East Van Panto-fied. Our Panto rooms are fun, creative and collaborative spaces that in many ways echo the processes we work in for our other, experimental new works. They’ve also allowed us to stay meaningfully connected to local artists, arts workers, partners and audiences.
Presented by:
East Van Panto: West Van Story
Written by Marcus Youssef with Pedro Chamale
Directed by Chelsea Haberlin
Music by Veda Hille
Presented by The Cultch
When a freak atmospheric tsunami strands West Van influencer Holly, and her curling crew deep in the wilds of East Van, she’s ready for disaster — but not the romantic kind. Enter Joes: charming, striking, and a proud member of The East Van Pets… their sworn enemies!
As Holly battles the expectations of her West Van mega-developer motherfather, Boberta Rainy, she finds herself caught between two cities, two families, and one seriously unexpected crush. Will she follow her heart — and Joes — into a new world of dance battles, civic resistance, and love? Or will Boberta’s towers and renovictions squash everything in their path?
This holiday season, come watch Holly and Joes try to Second-Narrows-bridge their differences and sweep each other off their feet. Love, laughter, and low-income housing — now that’s a triple takeout. Hurry hard!
East Van Panto: West Van Story
Written by: Marcus Youssef with Pedro Chamale
Directed by: Chelsea Haberlin
Music by: Veda Hille
Choreography by: Amanda Testini
Set and Props Design by: Shizuka Kai
Costume Design by: Donnie Tejani
Lighting Design by: Sophie Tang
Sound Design by: Brad Danyluk
Scenic Illustration by: Cindy Mochizuki
Head of Wardrobe: Sarah Sosick
Assistant Direction by: Leslie Dos Remedios
Assistant Musical Direction by: Jami Reimer
Assistant Sound Design by: Micaela Peragallo
Apprentice Choreographer: Michelle Molina
FEATURING: Ben Brown, Ivy Charles, Meaghan Chenosky, Dawn Petten, Tom Pickett, Izel De Lara, Dylan McNulty and Tresha Thamilchelvan. With Veda Hille and Jami Reimer on the Keys (alternating nights) and Kate Johnson on Percussion.
Our Understudies for East Van Panto: West Van Story are Jason Sakaki and Christine Quintana.
AND OUR PANTO KIDDOS: Rosalind Beaver, Greta Flinn, Noa Lin, Dexter Mackenzie-Deveau, Hayden Mangan, Lilah Margolis, Loa Martin, Noemi Martin, Bryony Martyn, Cluny Martyn, Akin Médiné-Glen, Marlowe Bea Petten, Tasio Pietropaolo, Jasper Podbrey, August Tyler-Hite.
Stage Manager: Yvonne Yip
Assistant Stage Manager: Victoria Snashall
Apprentice Stage Manager: Caroline Tang
Producer: Jamie King
Production Manager & Technical Director: Daniel O’Shea
Producing Support: Anjela Magpantay and Avyen Von Waldenburg
Child Wranglers: Ethan De Hoog and L Danger
Set Builders: Great Northern Way Scene Shop
Head of Props: Heidi Wilkinson
Props Builders: Flying Fox Prop Shop
Head Electrician/Cultch ATD: Jude Weismiller
Head Audio: Neal Miskin
Head Fly/Carpenter: Adam Prokop
Head Wardrobe: Oriana Camporese
Get ready for another year of East Van’s wackiest, most joyfully subversive all-ages tradition!
November 19, 2025 - January 11, 2026
YORK THEATRE
639 Commercial Drive
East Van Panto: West Van Story is supported by a Metro Vancouver Regional Cultural Project Grant.
Photos by Emily Cooper