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When people told Noah Alfred Pantano that Pup Play “wasn’t that bad”, it wasn’t quite the reassurance they might have intended. After the hostility he says the production had attracted, hearing that people had misjudged it gave him the beginnings of another show.
That show, (a play in a) DARK ROOM, has its world premiere at Colchester Fringe this autumn. Written and performed by Noah, who performs as Dr.Pants, it follows Davis, a janitor working in a dark room where men meet for sex. Davis is happy with himself and his work, until a violent threat leaves him facing something he cannot clean away.
“Pup Play was the culmination of the love and joy I hold for my community and my identity, told as truly as I could,” says Noah. “I told you this when it was just an idea in my head, but you didn’t listen and told me not to perform my truth.”
He describes death threats, censorship and continuing fights to get that production staged. When some people later admitted they had overreacted, he responded by considering what he would actually regard as a nightmare.
“Let me sink into horror. Let me take you to the darkest places I know, and I’m not talking about the literal dark room.”
The first draft was written in anger. As the play developed, it began to contain more of the humour and affection that had informed Pup Play, while retaining the darkness of its beginnings.
“The final draft has as much humour, truth and love as Pup Play, but also uses rage and horror as tools to find hope in darkness. It’s not as intense as that first draft, but it still makes Pup Play look like family entertainment.”
Davis’ confidence in who he is matters to the story. Noah wanted to write about someone who is comfortable with his identity but whose experiences begin to damage that relationship with himself and others.
“It’s hard to say too much without spoiling the show’s events, but the drama of the story is how hate spirals into internal paranoia and self-destruction,” he explains. “A noble belief becomes an excuse for violence.”
For Noah, horror was the genre the subject required. He says some of the experiences portrayed in the production happened to him in Colchester, and he regularly encounters surprise about the homophobia and violence faced by his community.
“My community faces real horrors every day. The things portrayed in the show are real. Some of them happened to me, here, in Colchester.”
He wants audiences to understand that local connection, but he also stresses that the play offers more than a depiction of suffering.
“It’s a nuanced exploration of how we overcome hate as a community. It stares horror in the eye and laughs back. Like Pup Play, DARK ROOM stands defiant in the face of death and demands that we love and hope for a better tomorrow.”
The performance combines movement, multimedia, lighting and an original electronic score. Noah wants audiences to follow Davis into an increasingly overwhelming world, with darkness and UV light helping to shape what they see.
“I want to shout out Spicer Carr and Tungsten Lungs’ music, as it is spectacular and complements my performance perfectly. Without it, the play would lose some of its energy.”
There is a practical reason for that variety, too.
“I’ve got ADHD. If the show were just me blabbering for an hour, it would be boring for all of us. All these elements make the show alive.”
Developed as part of his Theatre Studies PhD at the University of Essex, DARK ROOM is the second in a planned trilogy. Its more linear structure and dark, quiet moments mark a change from Pup Play, although Noah’s determination to speak openly remains.
He says the earlier show taught him to keep going despite opposition. Colchester Fringe recognised that persistence with its Resilience Award during the summer weekender, while Pup Play received the People’s Pick award at Stockholm Fringe in August.
“But if I listened to the theatres that refuse to programme my work, the people who tear down my posters or those who threaten to hurt me for being too loud and visible with my identity, Pup Play would not have happened.”
What encourages him is the response from people who have seen it. Noah says the production has raised thousands for LGBTQ+ charities and prompted audience members to reconsider their attitudes.
“They tell me how Pup Play made them want to treat my community with more kindness and empathy, and to be more vocal about injustice.”
Bringing the new show to Colchester Fringe is part of that continuing work. Noah values the festival’s willingness to support him and sees the arrival of more queer artists as a reason to be hopeful.
“I premiere my work in Colchester because that creates the Colchester I want to see. I want audiences to see our arts scene can do something worth talking about.”
His ambitions extend beyond the festival. He wants queer voices to receive support throughout the year, including productions that are provocative or difficult to programme.
“Colchester has a vibrant LGBTQ+, kink and arts scene, but the visibility of that scene is often limited.”
Noah asks what might happen if a theatre such as the Mercury offered a production like Pup Play the stage, time and financial support given to a pantomime. He believes the audiences are there, and that the Fringe has demonstrated their willingness to turn up.
“The stories we tell and platform, and the ones we hide and reject, are what define our culture and city.”
For him, the next step is to carry that willingness beyond the festival and into the city’s regular theatre programme.
“Colchester Fringe has proven the need for our voice. It’s time for the whole city to follow. That’s how we Keep Colchester Cool, right?”
(a play in a) DARK ROOM is at Colchester Fringe on Friday 30 October at 8.30pm and Sunday 1 November at 6pm. Further details and booking are available through the Colchester Fringe website.
