From Classroom Tales to Stage Triumphs: A Teacher’s Passion for Storytelling

It’s not every day you get to see a story you wrote come to life. For Anne Gatha – a retired elementary school teacher, writer, and musician – one of her proudest moments has been watching her original children’s book, A Paintbrush for Piccolo, reimagined and performed live on stage with an orchestra.

How did a K-6 elementary teacher from Calgary become an author and playwright? It starts with a passion for storytelling, and knowing how it can be a useful tool in shaping young minds. “I’m a great believer in the power of children, who surprise you in their ability to learn and understand things just by approaching it in a different way,” said Anne.

This belief is what drove Anne to teach art, music, and history by writing her own stories and performing them in front of the classroom. During her teaching career, Anne wrote a series of eight novellas about the adventures of elementary students who travel through time – a project she called ‘The Power of the Storyteller’ and which earned her two national teaching awards. In sharing these imaginative tales, students were encouraged to immerse themselves in another time, another place, helping them relate to the famous composers and artists they learned about in class.

This method proved to be highly engaging and collaborative for her students, who Anne asked to provide their own feedback and perspective to further enhance the stories. “Children are absolutely amazing at suspending belief and allowing the story to work for them,” she said. Anne’s stories were such a hit in the classroom, the school library decided to publish Cerlox-bound versions of the novellas for other students to enjoy.

After retiring from teaching in 2005, Anne accepted a new role developing an online teacher’s guide for the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. When the Calgary Philharmonic was commissioning new works for young audiences, Anne presented her children’s stories to Pierre Simard, a Calgary Philharmonic Resident Conductor. Pierre was immediately drawn to A Paintbrush for Piccolo – even the name Piccolo had a musical ring to it.

Self-published by Anne in 2007, A Paintbrush for Piccolo was illustrated by Calgary Public School Art Specialist, Don Elliot (now retired). The story follows a young boy and aspiring artist during the Renaissance enlightenment who meets the great Michelangelo himself.

Anne had never adapted a story for the stage before, but she was up for the challenge. This was another exciting opportunity to combine her many passions – art, music, history, storytelling – and share them with an even wider audience of young children and families. She re-worked the story to fit a one-hour production, with music composed by Canadian composer and Calgary Philharmonic violist Arthur Bachmann.

When Arthur first played Anne the music for Piccolo, it brought tears to her eyes – happy tears, she reassured him. To take one of her original stories from the classroom and turn it into full stage production – with the combined talent of the stage crew, actors, puppeteers, and orchestra – was a dream come true. “It’s just unbelievable to hear people say your words and to see your story come alive,” said Anne. “To know there’s other people who care about it as much as you do. It's magical.”

Now living in Vancouver, Anne is thrilled to return to Calgary this May to see a A Paintbrush for Piccolo performed once again at the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra; eighteen years after its first premiere in 2007. This occasion will be an extra special one for Anne, as her youngest grandson will also be in attendance to witness the magic.

“I’ve spent my whole life defending the arts and how important I believe they are for children,” Anne said. Through many years of storytelling, Anne has surely inspired another generation to do the same.

Anne’s play, A Paintbrush for Piccolo, will be showing at the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra this Mother’s Day on May 11, 2025.