‘A season built on connection, laughter’: Lighthouse Festival returning with 5 summer shows (Welland Tribune)

The theatre group’s productions tell stories of the ultimate cross-country road trip, a swanky Italian restaurant, a fake funeral and more.

April 11, 2026

Welland Tribune

By Welland Tribune Staff

Womanhood, cross-cultural connections, humour, mischief, forgiveness, and the twists and turns of romance will be explored when Lighthouse Festival returns to Port Colborne this summer.

The company has announced casts and creative teams for its five productions, also in Port Dover.

“We’re thrilled to welcome such an incredible group of artists to Lighthouse this season,” marketing and communications manager Don Kearney-Bourque said in a news release.

“There’s a real excitement among the company, and audiences will feel that the moment the lights come up. It’s a season built on connection, laughter and truly outstanding performances.”

Production manager Alice Barnett said it’s inspiring to see so many talented individuals come together with a shared goal of creating something special. 

“There’s a strong sense of collaboration and pride in the work, and we can’t wait to share it with our patrons,” she said.

This season’s shows in Port Colborne include:

“The Beaver Club” — June 17 to 28 

Four longtime friends pile into a well-worn car and set off on the ultimate cross-country road trip: from Toronto to Dildo, N.L. What starts as a spontaneous getaway soon spirals into a journey full of chaos, confession and more than a few questionable roadside snacks. 

With nothing but a scrapbook, a cooler full of kombucha and decades of shared history, the women relive old memories, create outrageous new ones and take on skinny dipping in questionable lakes and navigating tourist traps with names they can’t say on radio. Secrets are spilled, boundaries are tested and laughter erupts at every turn. 

“Crees in the Caribbean” — July 8 to 19

By Drew Hayden Taylor, the play is a delightfully witty yet deeply touching one about Evie and Cecil Poundmaker, a Cree couple celebrating their 35th anniversary with their first trip abroad — a Mexican resort vacation gifted by their children. The comedy sparkles as this fish-out-of-water couple navigates resort life with laugh-out-loud exchanges rooted in decades of shared history.

Curmudgeonly Cecil and spirited Evie fill the stage with humorous banter. The play unfolds as a heartfelt journey as memories resurface, and Evie gently pushes Cecil to seize each moment. In addition, their new friendship with Manuela, their young housekeeper, is profoundly moving. 

“Secret Service” — July 29 to Aug. 9

Welcome to Il Glorioso Buco, Toronto’s swankiest Italian restaurant. The atmosphere is thick with … espionage? A crack team of international spies has taken over the kitchen, using marinara as camouflage for a top-secret sting operation. Enter Harry Marsden: an eternal optimist who thinks he’s just starting a regular old waiter gig.

With a serving tray and way too much enthusiasm, Harry has no idea he’s just walked into the culinary equivalent of a James Bond blooper reel. Ephraim Ellis’s world premiere is “Mission Impossible” meets “MasterChef” in a farcical feast. 

“Liars at a Funeral” — Aug. 19 to 30

Family reunions are hard enough without faking a funeral, but that’s what Grandma Mavis has cooked up. When a blizzard traps a wildly dysfunctional family inside a drafty funeral parlour, sparks fly faster than power lines go down. 

Over one increasingly unhinged day, skeletons are flung from closets and secrets are spilled like cheap wine. Five actors play nine roles in a whirlwind of crazy characters, and one enthusiastic funeral director. The play is a an over-the-top tribute to family, forgiveness and the fine art of pretending everything’s fine. It’s the perfect sendoff for anyone who thinks their family is a little bit nuts — until they see this one. 

“A Woman’s Love List” — Sept. 16 to 27

Megan and Carly write down a list of qualities for the perfect man — and to their surprise, he appears. But perfection proves to be a moving target. As they begin tweaking the list, Blaze Wilson, their masterpiece, responds in kind, morphing from one personality to the next faster than you can say “emotional whiplash.”

Things get even messier when Blaze discovers the list and takes matters into his own hands. Full of rapid-fire dialogue, bizarre romantic detours and enough twists to qualify as cardio, the play is a hilarious exploration of modern relationships and why love can’t be measured by bullet points.

For ticket information, go to lighthousetheatre.com or call the box office at 1-888-779-7703.