CEDAR FALLS - When Gretta Berghammer established the Sturgis Youth Theatre, she had an artistic and fiscal plan to make it through five years.

On Thursday, the theater will present its 10th annual production, "Pinocchio," at the Strayer-Wood Theatre on the University of Northern Iowa campus.

It's a satisfying milestone.

"My vision was to see if I could create a place in Cedar Falls for kids to do theater, and to get enough support from the community through participation and attendance to sustain it for five years. Research says if a theater can last five years, if it can root, it's going to make it. After three years I knew it was going to happen. The support has been tremendous," said the UNI theater professor.

Featuring a cast of 37 youth from throughout the Cedar Valley, "Pinocchio" will be performed through next Sunday.

First published in 1883, the story of a wooden puppet longing to be a real boy became widely popular when Walt Disney released the animated movie in 1940. The puppet tries to be a good boy for his adopted father, Geppetto, but he stumbles over his own lies, causing his nose to grow longer.

Berghammer chose the show because it has good roles for both boys and girls, and a message: "Kids have responsibilities, and learning how to assume those responsibilities is part of growing up. A story that shows we all make mistakes and to learn from mistakes has real value," Berghammer said.

The Sturgis Youth Theatre was created as a noncompetitive, all-inclusive environment for youths ages 4 to 18. The mission is to provide quality productions, meaningful experiences and varied theater study opportunities. Exposure and experience in the arts, such as theater and music, also help young people develop self-confidence and self-esteem, and teach them verbal and problem-solving skills, as well as the value of teamwork.

The first production was "Old Silent Movie," performed on the Oster Regent Theatre stage in 2000. Other productions included "Treasure Island," "Jungle Book," "Beauty and the Beast," "Snow White," "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "The Wizard of Oz."

Since 1999, the Sturgis Youth Theatre has served more than 10,000 children. Each summer production involves between 45 and 65 young people as participants and about 400 to 500 in audiences.

"I think the biggest plus is that this particular way of doing theater gives young people a chance to try it, whether or not they've ever done theater before. The whole point is to give kids a chance to see what it's like, and we don't audition in a traditional way. With every show, kids play more than one role. Sharing a part is critical to their development. I may sacrifice a little artistically, in fact, I know I do, but that's never really been the focus. Every part has value," Berghammer said.

"The other thing is, summer after summer, I see the complete sense of ownership these kids have. Yes, there's supervision and guidance, but ultimately, they own the production."

Berghammer is pleased older students want to stay connected to the theater. "So the next piece is to see what we can do for students in grades 8 through 11. That's the segment that's not being targeted with opportunities," she added.