Michele’s Little Hearts Theatre Program

This highly anticipated yearly event will run October 2^nd – 11^th with several days of performances held specifically for classes from schools throughout Northwestern Indiana and Southwestern Michigan.

This year’s production will be Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes, adapted for stage by Kevin Kling.

We understand that you won't know the details about your class until the fall. As a result we are testing a commitment free pre-registration system this year. Teachers that pre-register during April or May will be the first to be contacted in the fall for registration and will have the most dates to choose from.

To pre-register simply email artsiusb@iu.edu with your full name, the best contact information to reach you in the fall, and the name/district of your school

About the program

Michele’s Little Hearts Theatre began in 1966 with a presentation of Winnie the Pooh. The first productions were organized by Tri-Kappa, a Greek service sorority existing only in Indiana. In 2015 the program was re-named to honor former Raclin School of the Arts Director of Community Outreach Michele Morgan-Durfour. Michele was a powerhouse that ran the program with great enthusiasm and much love. Traditionally held in February, the program was moved to October upon return from COVID shutdowns and restrictions. We will be celebrating the 60^th Anniversary of the children’s theatre program in 2026! We look forward to continuing to build community and having the opportunity to introduce children to the magic of live theatre.

All proceeds earned from this show’s ticket fees go to the Michele’s Little Hearts Theatre Undergraduate Scholarship Fund to help current and future Theatre & Dance students achieve their educational goals. The health and vitality of this scholarship fund benefits both our campus and the surrounding community as 65% of IU South Bend Alumni stay and work in our region.

We must receive full payment for your reservation two weeks prior to the program. The balance due for your group reservation will be included in the confirmation packet we will send along with a payment slip. Checks should be payable to Indiana University. To mail checks, please address them to Danielle Wilborn, Ernestine M. Raclin School of the Arts, IU South Bend, PO Box 7111, South Bend, IN 46634. Cash payments may be dropped off directly at the Arts Office located on the 2^nd floor, directly above the main entrance in Room #101. Enter at Door 20.

If your group requires special payment arrangements, please contact us to discuss options.

There are no refunds for unused seats. Should your school not be able to attend due to weather-related school delay, cancellation, or if IU South Bend is closed on the day of your planned visit all attempts to reschedule will be made before a full refund will be issued.

Please plan to arrive at the Campus Auditorium at Northside Hall (1825 Northside Blvd.) 15 minutes prior to the start of the show. If you are arriving by bus your driver should stop in front of the main entrance on Northside Blvd.

https://southbend.iu.edu/about/maps/index.html Additional maps marking direction of traffic will be included in your confirmation packet. Unloading of students is not permitted on the far side of the street as we are not allowed to close the road to general traffic. Please do not disembark until an MLHT representative has met your group and given instructions. The loading/unloading process is rapid. All name tags should be in the color assigned to your group to facilitate this process. Lanyard or hanging name tags are recommended as they can be easily moved over a coat or jacket to be visible at all times. Please place a sign in the front window of the bus with the school’s name and assigned color.

Buses will park on Northside Blvd. in front of the theatre; please follow parking instructions given by our house staff upon arrival. Buses should return to Northside Hall forty minutes after the start of the performance or remain parked in front of the building. A lounge area will be designated for bus drivers. If you are arriving by car, the most convenient parking is in the lot at the corner of Northside Blvd. and 20^th St. Parking passes will be included in your confirmation packet. Chaperones arriving separately from the group must have name tags with your group’s assigned color and the name of the school.

Restroom facilities are located down the hall from the auditorium; a teacher or chaperone MUST accompany students to the restrooms and any other time a student will be apart from the group. In the event of an emergency, ushers will direct you and your students. At the close of the show, please remain in your seats until the ushers collect your group. They will guide you to your bus(ses) or designated eating area if you opted to bring sack lunches. Please note that available restrooms are not high capacity and there may be lines.

The Story

The MLHT Fall ’24 production will be Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse.

This play is adapted from Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse © 1996 by Kevin Henkes. Performed with permission from Greenwillow Books, an Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Theatrical adaptation © 1998 by Kevin Kling.

Playwright Kevin Kling adapted Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse from three popular Keven Henkes’ books; Chester’s Way; Julius, the Baby of the World; and Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse.

Lilly’s adventurous life is filled with fun, friends and frustration. Her world is turned upside down when her little brother Julius arrives. She adores her new teacher Mr. Slinger. After her Grammy buys her the perfect purple plastic purse that plays music, her excitement to share disrupts class and her purse is taken by Mr. Slinger. Lilly is very mad and puts a mean note in his bag. When Lilly finds the nice note Mr. Slinger snuck into her bag she regrets her mean actions and works to solve her dilemma. In the end, all is right in Lilly’s world and she even finds a place in her heart for her stinky baby brother. – Synopsis content sourced from Childsplay Theatre and Scholastic Teacher.

Potential curricular integration themes include reading comprehension, writing comprehension, social emotional learning, animal facts, sequencing, fine motor skills through craft activities, and more.

Michele’s Little Hearts Theatre Program