Whoopensocker LIVE! Brings Verona Elementary Students’ Stories to Life on Stage February 20th!
VERONA, WI — Something extraordinary is coming to Verona Friday, February 20th: Whoopensocker LIVE! A brand-new variety show written by Verona’s 3rd graders; adapted and directed by an ensemble of Madison’s premier actors, improvisers, and musicians to be performed one night only! Like Saturday Night Live or The Muppet Show, but written by the kids in your community, Whoopensocker LIVE! delivers laughter, surprises, and heartwarming moments for the whole family.
Whoopensocker LIVE!’s first show of 2026 showcases original stories written by Glacier Edge and Country View 3rd grade students. Every Whoopensocker show is built from scratch, as professional artists transform a fraction of the hundreds of stories students create during Whoopensocker’s innovative six-week in-school creative writing program. The result is a 60-minute original variety show featuring nearly two dozen stories celebrating and championing the ingenuity of the children in Verona’s community. Last year’s Verona show included a portal to a land of Alicorns, a haunted meeting, a robot called “The Choreatron” that would do all your chores, and a young princess who yearned to be a knight!
“We’re thrilled to bring this year’s stories to Verona,” says Erica Halverson, Theatre & Drama Department Chair and Education Professor at UW-Madison, and honorary “Mayor of Whoopensocker City.” “These students created such hilarious, touching, and wonderfully creative worlds — we can’t wait for families to see their ideas leap onto the stage again this year!”
Audience members can expect a fast-paced, joy-filled evening suitable for kids, families, and anyone who loves imaginative, community-centered art.
Everyone is invited to Whoopensocker LIVE! at The Badger Ridge Middle School Performing Arts Center (300 Richard St, Verona, WI 53593) on Friday, February 20th at 6:30 PM. The show is free for all children and $20 an adult. Tickets at the door or online at Whoopensocker.org
About Whoopensocker
Whoopensocker is a unique combination of arts education and live performance. Through in-school workshops, teaching artists guide students in creative writing and self expression. Those stories are then adapted into an original show performed by professional artists — celebrating student voices and empowering young authors across Madison & Verona, WI.
For more information about the Verona performance or to learn more about Whoopensocker’s programs, please contact director Meredith Milliron, at 773-720-4839, whoopensocker.madison@gmail.com Or visit Whoopensocker.org.
Published on January 19, 2026
