March 31, 2022 – Confederation Centre of the Arts is preparing for The 2022 Charlottetown Festival, which includes the world premiere of the new Canadian musical comedy Tell Tale Harbour.

Proudly sponsored by The Gray Group Real Estate & Development, The 2022 Charlottetown Festival includes seven productions across the Centre’s three venues – including Anne of Green Gables—The Musical™, Betty’s Song, and Hey Viola!

“This Festival will be a celebration of our region, and the people who help to define what it means to be from Atlantic Canada,” explains Adam Brazier, artistic director of performing arts at the Centre. “There is a common thread of East Cost resilience and community woven throughout every show this summer.”

Tell Tale Harbour will kick off The Charlottetown Festival in June. Sponsored by Prince Edward Island Potatoes, the musical tells the story of a struggling Atlantic fishing village looking for a miracle. An opportunity arises to bring a state-of-the-art frozen french fry facility to town, but there’s just one major obstacle; to secure the factory, the harbour must have a full-time resident doctor. Realizing this might be their last chance to save their beloved community, the townspeople come together to charm an interim doctor into moving there permanently. Part heist and part farce with lots of music, this hilarious show celebrates the people, the trials, and the triumphs of living in a small community in Atlantic Canada.

The musical is based on the screenplay The Grand Seduction (2013) by Ken Scott. The story caught the eye of Brazier, who began drafting the musical adaptation. He sought out a collaborator who could encapsulate Atlantic Canadian storytelling through song, which led him to co-writer Alan Doyle. A Member of the Order of Canada, Doyle is one of the nation’s most treasured songwriters, revered for his solo material and the iconic band, Great Big Sea. Doyle is not only co-writing the musical but will also be starring in the lead role this summer.

“I’m stoked to give people a great night out,” says Doyle. “I hope its passionate message about the meaning of home, and the hilarious situations it portrays, will move people to laugh and cry and laugh again.”

The production’s music and lyrics are co-written by Doyle and Bob Foster (Music Director of Come From Away [Mirvish]). The book of the musical is co-written by Doyle alongside Brazier and award-winning writer Edward Riche. The production will be directed by Jillian Keiley, Artistic Director of the National Arts Centre English Theatre in Ottawa, ON, with choreography by Linda Garneau.

To celebrate the launch of this new musical, the Centre is holding a contest in partnership with Prince Edward Island Potato Board and Air Canada. Three winners from across Canada will be drawn to receive a prize package that includes roundtrip flights to Charlottetown, hotel accommodations, a $300 Canada’s Food Island gift card, tickets to see Tell Tale Harbour, and a meet-and-greet with Alan Doyle. The contest runs March 31 – May 15, with winners being drawn on May 20. For contest details and entry, visit confederationcentre.com/contest.

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