An expat theatre group born in a living room in the Algarve four decades ago is still selling out shows — and this autumn it's staging one of the most beloved stories in children's literature.
The Algarveans Theatre Group marks its 35th birthday this September, and to celebrate, the company is opening its 36th season with Alice in Wonderland, a family-friendly musical panto running at the Carlos do Carmo Auditorium in Lagoa from November 19 to 21. Tickets are a modest €15, with evening performances at 7.30pm plus a Saturday matinée at 2pm on November 21 — an easy, affordable evening out for anyone visiting or living in Portugal's southern coast.
The group's origin story is charmingly low-key. In 1990 (35 years before this anniversary), a small circle of theatre enthusiasts met at the home of founder Jerry Lane with a simple goal: putting on entertainment for the Algarve's growing expatriate community. Their debut production was Puss in Boots, a classic British pantomime, and the panto tradition stuck — the company has staged roughly 20 of them over the decades. Panto, with its audience participation, slapstick and cross-dressing dame, remains a comforting slice of British culture for expats, and increasingly a curiosity for locals and visitors alike.
This year's production is directed by Frank Remiatte, with choreography by Shelley Danca and musical direction from Shirley Devlin. The title role goes to Gracie Salter, a young performer with two years at the National Youth Music Theatre behind her and a lifetime of singing and dancing. She leads an ensemble of 30, bringing to life Wonderland's familiar cast — the White Rabbit, the Cheshire Cat, the Caterpillar, the Mad Hatter and the March Hare — with music and dance throughout. Notably, five young dancers will join the group on stage for the first time, a sign the company is still recruiting fresh talent rather than resting on its laurels. The script comes from Tom Whalley, a writer known for modern panto adaptations.
For travellers, this is a reminder that the Algarve is more than beaches and golf resorts. Towns like Lagoa support a year-round cultural calendar, and amateur companies like The Algarveans offer visitors a genuinely local night out — English-language theatre in an intimate auditorium, at a fraction of what you'd pay in London or Lisbon. If you're in the region in late November, the timings work well for families: the Saturday matinée is clearly aimed at children, while the evening shows suit a dinner-and-a-show plan in nearby towns such as Silves or Carvoeiro.
Tickets were set to go on sale shortly after the announcement, and given the group's loyal following among the Algarve's expat community, popular performances tend to fill up. It's worth booking early if your trip overlaps with the run.
Whether you're an Algarve regular or planning a shoulder-season escape, catching a panto in Portugal is the kind of offbeat travel memory that outlasts any beach day.
Story via Portugal Resident.
