Curtains on Lighthouse Theatre stage April 10–26 (Port Dover Maple Leaf)

Shelby Mulder plays Georgia Hendricks in Lighthouse Festival’s 2026 Community Show Curtains.

March 25, 2026

Port Dover Maple Leaf

By Donna McMillan

FOR most of the year, Shelby Mulder is best known as the event and wedding co-ordinator at the Dover Cheese Shop in Port Dover. In April, she will metamorphose into Georgia Hendricks, the lyrics writer for a play within a play later recast as its leading lady, as part of Lighthouse Festival’s 2026 Community Show, Curtains.

Scheduled to run April 10 to 26, Lighthouse Festival bills Curtains as “a side-splitting Broadway musical comedy where murder meets musical theatre.”

When the leading lady is unexpectedly murdered in the opening minutes of a brand new 1959 Broadway play, “the cast and crew scramble to save both the show and their necks… in a hilariously campy mash-up of mystery, romance and razzle dazzle,” Lighthouse Festival said.

Written by Rupert Holmes and directed by Lighthouse Festival interim artistic producer David Leyshon, Lighthouse Festival says Curtains “is packed with catchy Kander and Ebb tunes, witty wordplay, and a script that pokes loving fun at the world of theatre.” Val Smith of Port Ryerse is the assistant director.

Love for musical theatre

For Ms. Mulder, Curtains is her third Lighthouse community show, following The Producers in 2024 and A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder in 2025. She told the Maple Leaf that she first acted in high school, later performing in Simcoe Little Theatre’s production of Little Shop of Horrors in 2024. She said friends and family encouraged her to get involved because she has always loved musical theatre.

Ms. Mulder said that Curtains is an interesting production “because it is a show within a show.” She explained that her character and her character’s partner, Aaron Fox, are going through some things in their marriage; there is a love triangle involving Bobby Pepper, and Georgia is trying to find her role in life and the show. Becoming the lead in the play is “Georgia’s time to shine,” Ms. Mulder said.

For Nathan Clarke, a local accountant, the role of Daryl Grady—described in the play as a caustic and smug theatre critic—is his first with Lighthouse Festival.

Mr. Clarke said he did a lot of theatre when he was younger. He was in a French-Canadian version of Snow White in elementary school and then Shakespeare in high school. Mr. Clarke attended Simcoe Composite School and Brock University. He was also in Beauty and the Beast with Theatre Norfolk. In 2025, he was part of the cast of Jessica’s Fine Adventure at Simcoe Little Theatre, directed by Ms. Smith, who encouraged him to try out for the community play.

Mr. Clarke said his character is very self-important. He starts the performance as a critic and then turns into an investigative reporter after the murders. “It’s fun to play it up,” he said, adding, “Nice to feel you are bigger in the world.”

Solving the Murder

Jim Donovan, the records and legislative co-ordinator for Norfolk County, is Lieutenant Frank Cioffi in Curtains. Mr. Donovan described his character’s job on stage as solving the murder that occurs at the start. That’s the character’s day position, he said, but his true passion is theatre. So, he is quick to offer the cast of the play within a play some tips from his amateur theatrical perspective.

Curtains is Mr. Donovan’s first play with Lighthouse Festival, but he has performed with Simcoe Little Theatre since his days at Simcoe Composite. He performed with SLT last year in Nice Work If You Can Get It and was cast while at SCS in This is a Test. Mr. Donovan described Curtains as “a great big laugh, a funny murder mystery,” and “a love letter to theatre.”

Most characters are on stage 80% of the time

Jada Dawson plays one of the leading ladies, Nikki Harris, in Curtains. Ms. Dawson describes Nikki as an interesting character who comes across to the audience initially as reserved and naïve. But, as the show goes on, much more is learned. She loves the fact that most of the characters are on stage 80 per cent of the time, and she can sing with the ensembles on many songs.

Ms. Dawson first performed in Treasure Island at the age of 10 at Jarvis Public School. She has performed in three productions at Simcoe Little Theatre. Curtains is her sixth community show with Lighthouse, including Mary Poppins and The Producers in the past. She has also performed at Brock University. In June, she will graduate from Brock with a B.A. in drama and a B.Ed.

Ms. Dawson said that Curtains is “definitely one not to miss.”

“There are a lot of new faces on stage and behind the scenes,” she added.

Complete cast

The complete cast of Curtains: Naomi Auld (chorus); Nathan Clarke (Daryl Grady); Jada Dawson (Nikki Harris); Lorraine Deming (Jessica Cranshaw/chorus); Andy Dominick (Aaron Fox); Jim Donovan (Lieutenant Frank Cioffi); Ross Hanna (Sidney Bernstein); Kiana Littlemore (Bambi Bernét); Christy Miedema (chorus); Brent Millard (Christopher Belling); Shelby Mulder (Georgia Hendricks); Devon Otterman (Harv/chorus); Brian Reichheld (Oscar Shapiro); Shaena Rieckermann (Carmen Bernstein); Mike Renzella (Bobby Pepper); Sammy Rixmann (chorus); Melissa Schoeman (Detective O’Farrell/chorus); Eli Senko (Randy/chorus); Mackenzie Tigwell (chorus); Daniel Traina (Johnny Harmon).

Tickets on sale now

Lighthouse Festival’s Community Show is always a showcase of local talent and a great kick-off to the theatre season. For tickets, visit the box office at the corner of Main and Market streets in Port Dover, lighthousetheatre.com, or call 519-583-2221.