Scott MacAulay Centre

The Scott MacAulay Performing Arts Centre at the College of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts of Canada will have a summer run of three different stage productions. The College’s signature production, Highland Storm, is set to return, and two new shows, The Old Blue Bus: On the Road to a Dream and Belle Alliance, round out the programming.

Highland Storm tells the story of the Scots arriving on PEI. It is performed by the College’s instructors and students and directed by Peter Gallant. This evening of Celtic music and dance features Highland and step dancers, along with the powerful sounds of pipes and drums. Combined with the haunting melodies of traditional songs and the fire of the fiddle, it promises to be a moving, authentic experience.

The Old Blue Bus: On the Road to a Dream is a youth production featuring the College’s piping, drumming, step dance, Highland dance, and modern dance students. It follows a group of characters heading to a Celtic festival in the old blue bus, feeling like the world is their oyster. What could go wrong? The audience is in for a wild ride of music, dance, and mayhem.

Belle Alliance continues the story of what happened after the Deportation of Acadians from the Island in 1758. Annette, in search of her mother, journeys across America. Along the way, she meets Florent Hébert, with whom she builds a life in Bayou Pierre Part, Louisiana. The narrative also follows Acadians who escaped deportation but faced hardships as they sought peace on Prince Edward Island. From Tignish to Cascumpec, from La Roche (Egmont Bay) to Grand Ruisseau (Mont-Carmel), the descendants of Michel and Rose gradually find their place, rekindling the hope of an entire people. This hope shines brightly at the second National Acadian Convention in Miscouche in 1884, where this proud, resilient community adopts a national anthem and a flag, among other symbols.

The Scott MacAulay Performing Arts Centre is a fully accessible, state-of-the-art theatre that opened in 2018. Attached to the College of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts of Canada, it is one of Atlantic Canada’s top acoustic venues.

Visit smpac.ca for showtimes, tickets, and more information.