Old and new shows prepare to take centre stage at this year's Charlottetown Festival

Alan and Anne at The Charlottetown Festival The Charlottetown Festival returns with shows from Newfoundland’s troubadour Alan Doyle, and PEI’s iconic heroine.

Following a three-year hiatus, "Anne of Green Gables The Musical" is returning to the Charlottetown Festival on Prince Edward Island this year.

The iconic musical is a quintessential island show and is ready to make a return to the main stage.

And it's not the only show preparing for curtain call at this year's festival.

The musical "Tell Tale Harbour" is playing for the first time as well.

The musical, based on the movie “The Grand Seduction,” tells the heartfelt tale of a struggling community in Atlantic Canada. It’s the product of a collaboration between Adam Brazier, the artistic director of performing arts at the Confederation Centre, and singer-songwriter Alan Doyle.

“The whole story about the lack of doctors or people having to bring a resident doctor into such a small community is pretty relatable,” said Dawn Ward, the associate artistic director for the Charlottetown Festival.

Despite the very real-world concerns about doctor shortages, the on-stage performance doesn’t take the topic too seriously.

“What I love about this piece is that it doesn’t dress it with some kind of browbeating, heavy, ‘Here’s the moral we want to cram down your throat,’” said Adam Brazier, the artistic director for performing arts for the Confederation Centre. “This is entertainment. This is an escape. This is a ticket to joy, to laughter.”

Both shows are thoroughly Atlantic Canadian, a change from most years, which usually features a more American performance alongside the island darling, "Anne of Green Gables The Musical."

“It’s an offering we do because we love it,” said Brazier. “It’s also an offering we do because we know that there are tourists who want to come and experience that world. It is certainly the shoulders with which this festival has built itself over the years.”

As one tradition continues, another begins making Anne and Alan an island attraction all summer long.

The Charlottetown Festival is taking place now until Sept. 24.