New musical based on Canadian TV show Polka Dot Door coming to Confederation Centre

A new generation of kids on Prince Edward Island will get a chance to peep through the Polka Dot Door this summer.

The Confederation Centre of the Arts is creating a new family musical based on the popular Canadian children’s TV show that ran from 1971 to 1993. 

“I really wanted a title that I thought would kind of capture the imagination of Islanders and our many tourists who come,” Adam Brazier, artistic director at the Confed Centre, told Mainstreet P.E.I. host Nicola MacLeod. 

The musical will run as part of the Charlottetown Festival in the centre's outdoor amphitheatre from July 16 to Aug. 22. 

Brazier grew up watching Polka Dot Door, which aired on the Ontario Educational Communications Authority, later known as TVO. 

When brainstorming for a new outdoor show, Brazier said it was a natural fit. 

“Immediately I went, ‘Oh, we could just do something like the Polka Dot Door. Wait a minute, why don't we see if we can do that?’” Brazier said. 

“And so we called up TVO and they were as excited as we were.”

The new musical will be presented in association with TVO, and will feature an all-Island cast as well as some P.E.I. trivia and folklore. 

“We've really embraced the idea that this could be … not just another reboot of the Polka Dot Door franchise, but something that’s centred around Prince Edward Island,” Brazier said. 

The outdoor shows in the centre’s amphitheatre traditionally start at noon, but this year that will move to 11 a.m. due to weather changes, he said. 

“It's less heat on the audience and less sun and heat on the actors as well," Brazier said. "We find it's a bit safer now to be doing this at 11 a.m.”

Other productions playing at the Confederation Centre this summer include Anne of Green Gables: the Musical, Come From Away and C’mon In! An Island Kitchen Party.