The Garage Door Theater at the Starbright Center for the Arts opens its doors, inviting patrons to explore forbidden tombs in “The Curse of the Mummy,” a melodrama by Rodney Dobbs.
The original show debuted in 1993 at Pocket Sandwich Theater in Dallas, a venue Dobbs cofounded with Joe Dickinson.
Since then, he said, the production has only been on stage three times, but now, it’s time for the show to unravel before an audience once more.
“It's one of those things that I think this theater can have fun with this kind of a show, and I think that it's having been around this melodramatic kind of performances a lot from the Pocket Sandwich,” Dobbs explained. “I know that they're real audience pleasers.”
Dobbs aims to attract new audience members and shed light on a sometimes-overlooked part of Pilot Point—its active theater community.
“I'm always hopeful that the theater continues to grow an audience by presenting different kinds of shows that appeal to different groups of people—that we consistently produce shows that are of a high-quality so that people when they see a show here, they go, ‘Wow,’” Dobbs said.
For the cast members, there’s often been a sense of deep connection between the cast and crew.
Travis Hundley, who plays the Irish dock worker Bradley O'Reilly, has been involved in the theater for two years, participating in eight productions.
He wouldn’t miss the chance to keep working with his fellow castmates and director Dobbs.
“You build a family with everybody, and even though it can be extremely stressful and painful at times, it's just it's never not fun, it's never not a blast—especially this cast,” he said.
For some, seeing familiar faces can feel like a reunion.
Maegan Jasbring, playing Bess Churchill, the pub owner and notorious flirt, is making her first appearance on the Pilot Point stage after performing in Gainesville.
“The last show I did there, Joe and Travis, that are in this show, were in that show with me, and they were like, ‘Are you going to come and do a show in Pilot Point?’ And so, that's kind of what got me into it,” Jasbring said.
She now has plans to audition for other productions.
Logan McJunkin returns to the stage after 10 years, playing archaeologist Sir Howard Carter.
“This is the first show I've done in a long time,” McJunkin said. “After high school, I did a little bit of stuff at the community theater, but then I went into the Marine Corps and just got out of that a couple years ago, so this is the first time I've auditioned and done anything since then.”
McJunkin plans to continue to be involved.
Longtime Garage Door Theater actor Ben Green plays two characters: Arthur Callendar, the archaeologist's assistant, and Constable Stoddard.
Green has been part of Pilot Point’s theater scene since 2013, starting with youth theater and moving to adult productions.
For Green, what sets this production apart is the sense of humor among everyone involved.
“Everybody has a good sense of humor,” Green said. “I don’t think there’s been one night where I haven’t laughed at least once. … Nobody takes themselves too seriously, and those are some of my favorite shows to be part of.”
Whether it’s the actors or the characters they portray, they draw in audiences.
Kyndal Brown, playing Rosalind Travis, describes her character as a strong-willed cowgirl and is thrilled for the audience to connect with the characters.
'I'm so excited for everybody to get to interact and love the characters— and hate some of the characters as much as we do,” Brown said.
Basil Gist is stepping back on the stage after a break to portray Lord Carnarvon, a wealthy man looking to get richer.
For Gist, it seemed like the right time to return after his friends and fellow actors Kailey Rice Hjelmgren and Joe Hjelmgren bought the theater in late 2025, making this the first Starbright mainstage production since the change.
Now he has the chance to implement all that he’s learned through his love of voice acting to bring his character to life.
“Every sentence, every word, every period and comma where you take your pauses, all of that matters just as much as a full sentence or a full page,” Gist said. “So, I've noticed it's made a huge difference in my performance and how I look at a script.”
Rice Hjelmgren, playing Lady Evelyn Carter, the daughter of a wealthy archaeologist and wife to Sir Howard Carter, also leads the charge as song leader, encouraging audience interaction in the show.
“This isn't a show where you have to sit back and be quiet; you can boo, and you can hiss, and you can cheer,” Rice said. “That's exciting for us as actors because we love getting feedback. ... We love to hear that from the audience, so the fact that it's encouraged—I'm really hoping everybody leans into that and it'll be fun.”
