CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - For its second production of the 2025-26 season, TheatreUNI will present the world premiere of “POPPED!,” a Theatre for the Very Young (TVY) play. UNI students have worked with 19 local preschool classrooms to devise a participatory theatre experience for children ages 3-6 years old. 

Public performances will be held Dec. 6 and 13 at 9:30 and 11 a.m., and Dec. 7 at 1:30 and 3 p.m. The show will also perform for school groups on Dec. 3, 4, 8 and 11. All performances will take place in the Bertha Martin Theatre, located inside the Strayer-Wood Theatre building on the University of Northern Iowa campus. “POPPED!” is sensory-friendly.

As bedtime approaches and the moon casts its gentle glow, a little girl's room transforms into a magical realm of wonder. Determined to delay sleep, she pleads for “just one more book” (which, of course, means many more!). But tonight is extraordinary – each book she opens POPS! to life in the most whimsical and captivating ways. “POPPED!” is an interactive celebration of storytelling and imagination, inviting young book lovers to embark on a journey where stories leap off the pages, dreams take flight, and the magic of reading knows no bounds.

Assistant Professor of Instruction Kendra Kahl will direct, with scenic design by TheatreUNI’s technical director Ron Koinzan; costume and puppet design by Associate Professor Amy Rohrberg; and lighting design by UNI alum and scenery studio supervisor, David Harnois. Current student Lucia Kuehn is the assistant director, and the production’s stage manager is current student Hannah Tibbs.

Tickets for children 5 and under are free. All other tickets are $5. Tickets can be purchased through unitix.uni.edu or at the UNItix counter in the Gallagher Bluedorn, or at the Strayer-Wood box office the week of the show. This project was made possible through grant support by The Guernsey Foundation.

For more information, call the Department of Theatre box office at 319-273-6386 or visit TheatreUNI’s website.