Exclusive: An Interview with Ensemble Member Devin Alexander about Drayton Entertainment's PETER PAN: THE PANTO

For years now, Drayton Entertainment has dazzled audiences of all ages with their  fabulous Pantos - a genre of musical comedy that is popular among Drayton audiences but a bit of a mystery to those who have never experienced one. Recently, Broadway World had the opportunity to chat with Devin Alexander, an ensemble member in Drayton Entertainment’s PETER PAN: THE PANTO about his specific career path, doing a show over the holidays, and his first ever experience doing a Panto!

 Devin Alexander is a talented triple threat performer from Winnipeg, Manitoba who is currently gracing the Drayton Entertainment stages as an ensemble member in PETER PAN: THE PANTO. Prior to this contract, he could be seen in Rainbow Stage’s THE LITTLE MERMAID, Drayton Entertainment’s THE PROM, and the 2022 Stratford Festival production of CHICAGO – for which BWW interviewed him along with the other five incredible Swings in that production.

PETER PAN is Mr. Alexander’s first Panto and he shares that prior to this year, he knew very little about that genre of theatre. “I come from a place where Pantos aren’t a thing. We don’t have them in Manitoba…I didn’t know what they were at all.” So, he did his research. Last year, before going into general auditions for Drayton, he went to see WIZARD OF OZ: THE PANTO in order to get a better sense of what to expect. “I thought it was really cute and fun and silly” and with that, he quickly prepared to fully immerse himself in this world.

For the unacquainted, a “Panto” is a genre of musical comedy that originated in Britain and typically takes place during the Christmas and New Years holiday season. It is characterized by being a re-telling of a popular story and includes audience participation and popular music. Drayton Entertainment has become well known for their hilarious, high energy, and high quality Pantos and Mr. Alexander has enjoyed putting his dancing skills to the test to some of the best pop songs of the last twenty years.

“One of my favourite parts has been getting to dance to kind of current songs! Some of them are really current like Dance the Night but then there’s other bops like Circus by Britney. There’s a good balance between what I think is like core pop music for my generation and core pop music for the future generations as well. It’s really cool!”

Mr. Alexander started as a dancer and he shares that as much as he loves to dance now, it took him a while to discover his passion for it. “I started when I was 9 years old and hated it when I first started. I did it for a year and I said I never want to go back.” He shares that he took a year off and then returned to it. “I’ve been back ever since and fell in love with it.” He went on to get his Bachelor of Music Theatre at Sheridan College, completing this program at the beginning of the pandemic.

Some might have been disheartened by the timing of the pandemic in relation to the start of their professional career, but Mr. Alexander opted to see the silver lining in everything. He trained over Zoom with the Broadway Dance Center. “They have an online summer program and I kind of got hooked with that and then continued training with them after.” He shares that his experience dancing over Zoom was a positive one. “It was pretty bonkers but it was really nice…Zoom was a really weird thing for people. Either you hated it and you were kind of forced to do it, or as was my situation, it became a tool and gave me access to people that I wouldn’t normally have access to! I was getting to train with teachers who teach in New York, consistently from my home without having to travel to New York and pay all the money to stay there and pay crazy amounts of money for classes.”

Mr. Alexander credits this training as a key reason why he was ready when the opportunity came along to be part of the Stratford Festival season in 2022. “I really feel like that made me jump forward in my dance training…The Devin leaving school was not in a place where he could have booked Stratford but…after taking all the training and doing all the things, I was capable and ready and had all the confidence and skills to do that job.”

After the Stratford gig, Mr. Alexander had the opportunity to return home to Winnipeg as a member of the ensemble in Rainbow Stage’s THE LITTLE MERMAID. This was the first time he worked professionally in his hometown. ““It was my first introduction to that community of people that was in my age group. It was to date, one of my favourite projects I’ve ever done. We were so close immediately. We went out all the time, we had so much fun on stage together. It was really nice to get close [with them].”

And now, he is in another Disney show “And another animal show!” he exclaims! He has the distinct honour of donning the Nana the dog costume for this production of PETER PAN: THE PANTO. “I sweat a lot during the show. I drink about six Gatorades just to stay alive!” He jokes. “I like to say I’ve done hot yoga for every single show.” In addition to Nana, he also plays Slightly – one of the lost boys. “I’ve always loved Peter Pan growing up. I’ve loved the themes of childhood, friendship, chosen family and the community that comes along with that. I feel like this show especially showcases that. And it’s cool because it’s also kind of trickled into our dynamic as a cast as well. We’ve gotten really close and tight knit. It’s a really good group of people.”

Although the cast of PETER PAN: THE PANTO did get a few days off over the holidays, it wasn’t enough time for Mr. Alexander to make his way back home to Winnipeg. Instead, he found yet another silver lining and spent the holidays in Stratford with friends from back home. “Getting to spend Christmas with friends is a different experience that I’d never had before and that was a nice new tradition that could potentially form when I have shows that keep me away from coming home.” He also notes that because the Winnipeg theatre community is so tight knit, “it was nice to have a bit of that in Stratford while I got to still do what I love.” He adds that in addition to creating new traditions with friends, the show itself kept him in the holiday spirit as well. “You still feel like you’re in the holiday spirit because you’re getting to put on this show – not that the Panto is necessarily a Christmas themed show, but it has the spirit of it. People come dressed up in holiday outfits and stuff like that.”

Speaking of doing what he loves, BWW had to ask what Mr. Alexander found most surprising about doing a Panto. He explains that even though he understood the format of Pantos, he is used to doing standard musical theatre productions (with limited audience interactions) and so with lots of sound and energy coming from the audience, it was initially a challenge to keep track of what he had to do next. “Our first preview was bonkers. It was a student matinee as well and Pantos are a lot of energy anyways, but with a student matinee, the kids are so excited about it.” He adds “It’s a different show every day! Once you get used to that amount of energy coming at you, it’s really fun to get to learn how to play with it.” He credits his castmates for always keeping things fresh and bringing top tier dancing to the production. “Just getting to dance with those humans every night is really special. You feel like you are doing good work while affecting the lives of children and families and being a part of holiday traditions. It’s cool.”

He also praises the audiences: "Every single audience has been great." He notes that Drayton Pantos have a reputation for being excellent and he is thrilled that almost every performance has been sold out and that audience members are engaged and ready for a fun time. He adds that the audience is always a nice mix of folks experiencing a Panto for the first time and others who come back year after year and know the drill. “So even if some people come to the Panto and it’s their first experience... there’s enough people in the audience who are used to what it is to get the energy back up.” “Even if you are a bit more shy, by the end people are usually pretty vocal.”

According to Mr. Alexander, PETER PAN: THE PANTO offers something for everyone - with music ranging from Britney Spears to Dua Lipa, to Elton John, a classic and beloved story about found family and being young at heart, and some top notch singing and dancing from all involved.

Due to the popularity of PETER PAN: THE PANTO, it has been extended allowing even more audience members to join in the fun. It is currently playing at the St. Jacob's Country Playhouse until January 14th. Tickets are available at the link below.

PHOTO CREDITS: Devin Alexander (headshot), and David Delouchery

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