Calgary’s StoryBook Theatre celebrating a milestone 50th anniversary

A theatre will revive several older productions to celebrate 50 years on stage. Performances are by volunteer actors who found a home in community theatre.

StoryBook Theatre is celebrating it’s 50th anniversary along with the countless people who have been its cast and crew that have performed in its hundreds of shows dating back to 1977.

JP Thibodeau, the theatre’s artistic producer, says the 50th season promises to bring back shows that were popular with audiences when they were first produced at StoryBook, along with some newer creations that premiered 10 years ago.

“We’re super excited for our 50th season and the twists and turns we have in store to celebrate Calgary and celebrate the artists that make StoryBook home,” Thibodeau said.

“For us it’s really about bringing together the years of creating theatre here in Calgary.”

Thibodeau says StoryBook’s five decades of storytelling all began with a group of teachers who wanted to create a theatre outside of a school environment.

“Their drive was really to create original work, so they were writing their own shows and producing their own plays down at the Pumphouse Theatre,” he said. “They really wanted to make sure that students and families had a place to enjoy theatre outside of adult theatre or (a) format that wasn’t really recognized for kids at the time.”

Thibodeau says today the theatre has performers who have other careers but still feel drawn to the stage and hearing the applause of an audience.

“We have doctors, we have lawyers, we have teachers, we have pharmacists, we have hygienists,” he said.

“We have the gamut of occupations who this was their little secret dream that they wanted to perform and do theatre but didn’t think it was a reality, and then here they are living their full career and now able to fulfill a passion of theirs that they’ve had since childhood.”

The performers are all volunteers who learn from professionals behind the scenes. Thibodeau said he felt it was important community artists learned the ropes from veteran directors, choreographers and designers working in the theatre industry.

Hannah Kerbes-Anson first stepped on stage with StoryBook in 2011 and says it’s become her home away from home and she enjoys watching young actors grow on stage.

“In my 15 years I’ve taught a lot of theatre school,” she said. “There are kids in this show who I taught when they were eight or nine who are 18, 19 now, who I’m on stage with or who are going on to professional theatre.”

“It’s really cool for me. I like being here to help and teach the next generation.”

On the other side of the coin is 17-year-old Rocco Lo Gullo. This is the Grade 11 student’s first performance. He and Kerbes-Anson are part of the theatre’s production of Anne of Green Gables.

“I started out watching StoryBook Theatre shows, and (getting) to be in one is honestly one of the best things that ever happened to me,” said Lo Gullo.

“I remember JP Thibodeau does this little message at the start of every show, he says (some performers) were inspired by watching Storybook shows,” he said.

“Every time I hear that, I was like, ‘that was me!’ I was sitting in this audience watching a show and then to be in one, it means the world to me.”

The official anniversary is in October 2026 and StoryBook will be hosting several shows throughout the season to celebrate it’s 50th anniversary.

Learn more about StoryBook here: StoryBook Theatre Society | Accessible family theatre and programming in Calgary | 375 Bermuda Drive Northwest, Calgary, AB, Canada