PORT DOVER—Another season of laughter by the lake is at hand with the opening of Lighthouse Festival Theatre’s first show of the 2026 summer season.
The first of five planned shows, The Beaver Club is a zany comedy that sees four female friends embark on a spontaneous road trip adventure from Ontario to Dildo, Newfoundland to attend a wedding.
Making her Lighthouse debut is playwright Barb Scheffler, who was inspired to write the play after spending days on end travelling in a van across Canada with three other actors while performing together.
“Sometimes we drove each other crazy, but mostly we laughed, and sometimes we even cried,” wrote Scheffler, who developed the play after joining an online writing group during the pandemic.
That personal experience translates joyously to the stage, with four seasoned actors at the helm taking the audience along with them on their whirlwind trip that includes skinny dipping, homemade elderflower wine, flatulence, and an ‘electric toothbrush’ gag that had the audience in stitches.
That was far from the only laugh of the night. In signature Lighthouse tradition, the show weaves a delicate balance between gut-busting one-liners and moments of sincerity.
Debut Lighthouse director Emily Oriold stages The Beaver Club with an abundance of flair, with four chairs constantly re-arranged subbing for the car alongside a colourful, well-designed stage full of bright, vibrant lights, a non-stop soundtrack of road trip staples, and a constantly cascading slideshow of maps and images as the ladies make their way to Dildo.
Three of the performers are veterans of the Lighthouse stage. Long-time patrons are sure to recognize Melodee Finlay as Yvette, Melanie Janzen as Radiance, and Helen Taylor as Karen.
It’s a Lighthouse debut for Marlene Handrahan as Eunice, who drops nearly 50 “Lord ‘tunderin’ Jesus” lines in her memorable performance as the Newfoundlander at the heart of the spontaneous road trip.
Janzen brings her signature manic hippy energy to Radiance, a woman who casually drops reference to the famous men she’s known – from Andy Warhol to Leonard Cohen – while Finlay is excellent at revealing her character’s hidden sorrow after losing her husband amidst all the jokes flying around her. It’s a joy as well to watch Taylor bring her character to life as Karen slowly learns to loosen up over the course of the play.
Oriold said the creative journey behind the scenes reflects how the play took shape.
“In the rehearsal hall, we’ve leaned into both the outrageousness and the truth of this journey. Because while the play is packed with wild detours, questionable snacks, and stories that perhaps shouldn’t be told in polite company, what resonates most is the way these women show up for one another,” wrote Oriold.
The Beaver Club is ready to make you laugh in Port Dover until June 13, after which it will travel to the Roselawn Theatre in Port Colborne for a run from June 17-28. For more information and tickets, visit lighthousefestival.ca or call 1-888-779-7703.
