The 'Confederation Centre of the Arts' is a
Canadian centre dedicated to the
visual and
performing arts located in the city of
Charlottetown,
Prince Edward Island.
Construction of the Confederation Centre, as it is commonly referred to, started in
1960 and
Queen Elizabeth II officially opened it to the public on
October 6,
1964[1]. The institution is funded by the ten
provincial governments in Canada and the federal government as Canada's National Memorial to the Fathers of Confederation, who met in Charlottetown in September
1864 at what was called the
Charlottetown Conference.
''
..."[The Fathers of Confederation Memorial Building] is a tribute to those famous men who founded our Confederation. But it is also dedicated to the fostering of those things that enrich the mind and delight the heart, those intangible but precious things that give meaning to a society and help create from it a civilization and a culture."'' — Prime Minister L.B. Pearson, Opening Ceremonies for the Confederation Centre of the Arts, October 6, 1964[2]
Confederation Centre was built on Queen's Square in the centre of Charlottetown's business district, immediately west of
Province House, Prince Edward Island's legislature and the location of the Charlottetown Conference. The centre is one contiguous structure, however at street level it appears as three separate buildings (hosting a
theatre,
art gallery and
public library) clustered around "Memorial Hall" which faces east toward Province House. The Confederation Chambre in Province House, where the conference meetings took place, is located on the western side of that building, thus facing directly at Confederation Centre's Memorial Hall.
Confederation Centre covers a block in the central business district, bounded on three sides by Grafton Street, Queen Street, and Richmond Street. As part of its mandate to showcase the best in Canadian visual and performing arts the centre has played host to the
Charlottetown Festival every summer since
1964, with a tribute to its host-province by playing Canada's most popular and longest-running mainstage
musical ''
Anne of Green Gables — The Musical''. It also inspired the production of the critically acclaimed musical, Anne and Gilbert. Their most successful second mainstage show to date is
Canada Rocks and it is in its second year.
The
art gallery hosts numerous travelling exhibits and its own permanent collection. The
public library is administered under the provincial library system and is Charlottetown's principal library. The restaurant, Mavor's Bistro and Bar is located right off the lobby and hosts a wide selection of wines and serves a Starbucks menu.
The Confederation Centre mainstage theatre is the largest theatre mainstage in Canada east of Montreal.
External links
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Jubilee Theatre