The CURTAINS have come down on our spring musical!

April 17-25, 2026 the cast and crew of CURTAINS entertained audiences with the twists and turns of this hilarious whodunit murder mystery. 

Senior Porter Brown led the cast of CURTAINS as Lieutenant Frank Cioffi, called upon to investigate the murder of the leading lady Jessica Cranshaw (junior Sarah Roscoe). His love interest was played by senior Chloe Robertson (Niki Harris). Seniors Nicole Synnestvedt and Tait Asplundh were the songwriting duo of Georgia and Aaron, while seniors Isabel Waelchli and Isaac Rose played the married producers Carmen and Sidney Bernstein. Brogan Fraser (senior) portrayed the show’s choreographer Bobby Pepper; Oliver Orthwein (senior) was financier Oscar Shapiro and Sofia Waelchli (sophomore) played chorus member Bambi Brenét. Junior Clio Frazier was the show-within-a-show ROBBIN’ HOOD’s stage manager (Jenny Harmon) and Durban Cooper (freshman) portrayed Daryl Grady of the Boston Globe. 

Senior Windsor Smith was the stage manager, assisted by sophomore Tess Pitcairn. Anthony McDonald (freshman) manned the lightboard and Zoe Martin and Tori Hughes (juniors) ran the sound board, with lead-up sound done by Sadie Morey (senior). Overall, nearly one quarter of the student body was involved in the production in some capacity.

The Philadelphia Independence Awards, a program of adjudicators who review and score different aspects of high school shows, had the following comments:

 “CURTAINS at the Academy of the New Church delivered an engaging and thoughtfully staged production that immediately captured attention.”

“This show was so much fun, especially the show-within-a-show aspects where the cast really got to wink at the audience.”

“The cast overall had very brilliant comedic timing. They knew the comedy lines and how to deliver them.”

“It was obvious from the first song that this program has an incredible wealth of talent.”

ANC continues to be a member of the Greater Philadelphia Cappies, and 35 Cappies critics attended the first Saturday's performance. Some excerpts of their reviews:

“Overall, the Academy of the New Church Secondary School's production of CURTAINS was absolutely amazing, and it's got me "Missing the Music" already. With superb acting, sets, and performances, this is definitely not a production to miss!”

“Academy of the New Church's production was a blast, packed with hilarious characters and memorable moments.”

“With multiple standout performers, impeccable comedic timing, and legs kicked toward the sun, Academy of the New Church kept CURTAINS hilariously entertaining for its entire two-hour run.”

Read all of the Cappies reviews here! 

The Philadelphia Independence Awards nominated CURTAINS in the Scenic Design category and the show received five Cappies nominations: Tait Asplundh (Vocalist in a Male Role), Robert Asplundh (Comic Actor in a Male Role in a Musical), Brogan Fraser (Featured Actor in a Male Role in a Musical), Isabel Waelchli (Lead Actor in a Female Role in a Musical) and Porter Brown (Lead Actor in a Male Role in a Musical). Aurora Gruber was also nominated for Outstanding 9th/10th grade critic for the second year in a row! 

CURTAINS was directed by Chris Waelchli (Music Director/Co-Director) and Rachel Boyce (Choreographer/Co-Director). Sarah Cooper Waelchli was the producer and Yaicha King costumed the show. Holly Feerrar was the Assistant Choreographer and Charity Warwick was the Assistant Music Director. The stagecraft elective class for juniors, taught by Chris Waelchli, built the set. Shawn Rose was the rehearsal accompanist and Chloe Panicker is the MPAC manager. 

See photos from the show here and here. 

Curtains School Edition was presented through special arrangement with and all authorized performance materials are supplied by Theatrical Rights Worldwide 1180 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 640, New York, NY 10036. www.theatricalrights.com