June 5, 2026
By: Don Kearney-Bourque, Marketing & Communications Manager
Lighthouse Festival
When audiences settle into their seats for Liars at a Funeral at Lighthouse Festival this season, they’ll be experiencing a comedy that has been years in the making; one filled with family secrets, outrageous lies, heartfelt revelations, and enough theatrical magic to keep audiences talking long after the curtain call.
For playwright Sophia Fabiilli, the production marks a particularly meaningful homecoming. “My very first professional acting gig was at the Lighthouse Festival in 2011,” she recalls. “[former Artistic Director] Derek Ritschel hired me and, as a young actor straight out of theatre school, I played the police officer in When the Reaper Calls. I had an amazing summer in Port Dover. It’s a very exciting full-circle moment in my career to have Lighthouse Festival Theatre produce my play, and I can’t wait to come visit.”
That journey – from emerging actor to acclaimed playwright – has led her to Liars at a Funeral, a comedy that balances laugh-out-loud moments with surprisingly emotional truths.
A Funeral Like No Other
At the centre of Liars at a Funeral is an unforgettable premise: a grandmother named Mavis decides to fake her own death in an elaborate scheme to reunite her fractured family.
The result is a fast-paced comedy packed with mistaken identities, family feuds, shocking revelations, and enough twists to keep audiences guessing.
The original idea came to Fabiilli in a flash. “I really loved the idea of a grandmother faking her own death to reunite her family,” she says. “I thought there was a powder keg of comedic potential there. I was also interested in writing a leading role for an older female actor because I think there aren’t enough of them!”
While the setup sounds delightfully ridiculous, and it is, the play is driven by something deeper. “I suppose the dramatic question is: ‘What does it take to find reconciliation in a family? What does it take to start telling the truth?’”
That tension between comedy and honesty runs throughout the play.
Finding the Truth Behind the Laughter
Although Liars at a Funeral delivers plenty of laughs, Fabiilli believes comedy can be one of the most effective ways to explore difficult emotions. “I like sharp turns between comedy and drama,” she explains. “I like making people laugh and then maybe, just maybe, punching them in the gut a bit.” That balance is something she intentionally seeks in her work. “I think we all need escape, laughter, and catharsis right now. It’s the beauty of theatre: escaping the world for a few hours to sit in the dark with other humans and immersing yourself in someone else’s story.”
Like many family stories, the play explores the complicated relationships that exist beneath the surface. “My dad asked me once if this play was inspired by our family, and I said ‘no,’” she laughs. “Later I admitted that was a bit of a lie. It’s not directly about my family, but I think it’s a universal theme, isn’t it? We all have skeletons in the familial closet and unreconciled events in our history.”
The Characters Who Refused to Behave
Writing a comedy about grief, secrets, and family dysfunction comes with challenges. Of all the characters in the play, Fabiilli says Evelyn, Mavis’s daughter, proved the most difficult to write. “Although everyone has a lot at stake and is going through grief in their own way, thinking that Mavis is dead, Evelyn has a lot of unresolved baggage with Mavis,” she says. “I won’t give any spoilers, but Evelyn was the hardest to write and to find the comedy in her grief-stricken state.”
Then again, getting characters to cooperate is never easy. When asked how she knows when a play is finished, Fabiilli admits she’s still figuring that out. “God, I have no idea,” she says. “I have a very hard time feeling ‘finished’ with something. If you have any tips, let me know.”
That uncertainty may explain why Liars at a Funeral has gone through numerous revisions over the years. “Oh gosh, don’t get me started,” she says. “I’ve rewritten this play more times than I’d like to admit, and plenty was left on the cutting room floor.” One deleted scene still haunts her. “A previous iteration had a scene where Quint, the funeral home assistant, had a label maker and printed out the label ‘you’re a liar’ and stuck it on his forehead. It forced DeeDee to reveal some tough stuff. It all got cut, and I still miss it.”
Writing Bold Women
Across her body of work, Fabiilli has become known for creating complex and memorable female characters. That focus is no accident. “Women doing bold things that push against the ‘typical’ narrative,” she says when asked about the themes she returns to most often. “Characters telling hard truths. And this isn’t a theme, but I’m continually trying to write complex roles for women of all ages.”
That commitment is evident throughout Liars at a Funeral, where generations of women drive much of the action, conflict, and comedy. It’s also reflected in the way she approaches writing itself. “My favourite part is the beginning – the honeymoon period when ideas are flooding in, and my mind is a pinball machine,” she says. “At a certain point, I start hearing characters talk to each other, and I start reaching for notebooks to scribble down ideas.”
The actual writing? “It’s all downhill from there,” she jokes. “Thinking of play ideas is very fun. Actually writing the play is a lot harder.”
Theatre Magic Behind the Scenes
While audiences will undoubtedly be laughing at the chaos unfolding on stage, Fabiilli hopes they’ll also appreciate the remarkable craftsmanship required to bring the play to life. “I hope audiences will want to discuss the stage magic,” she says. “I won’t spoil anything, but it takes a lot of work behind-the-scenes.”
The production features five actors playing nine different roles, creating a whirlwind of character changes and theatrical sleight-of-hand. “There’s lots to chat about – from a technical standpoint – after seeing the show,” she says. “Three cheers for stage managers, designers, and all the tech crew!” Then she offers one tantalizing hint: “Quick change.”
A Full-Circle Celebration
For Lighthouse Festival audiences, Liars at a Funeral promises an evening packed with laughter, surprises, and heartfelt moments. For Sophia Fabiilli, it represents something even more special: a return to the theatre where her professional career began.
The result is a play that asks big questions about family, forgiveness, and honesty, all while delivering the kind of comedy audiences have come to love at Lighthouse Festival.
After all, sometimes it takes a fake funeral to bring a family back to life.
