Announcing season dates for 2025!
Join us October 1st-10th, 2025 for Charlotte's Web as we lead up to our 60th anniversary in 2026!
Early registration open now - June 10th
Registration closes September 17th.
Michele’s Little Hearts Theatre Program
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. We will be celebrating the 60th 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.
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 in the Arts Office located on the 2nd floor of Northside Hall, 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 20th 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
Charlotte’s Web
Adapted by Joseph Robinette
Based on the book by E.B. White
The Children's Literature Association named this "the best American children's book of the past two hundred years," and Joseph Robinette, working with the advice of E.B. White, has created a play that captures this work in a thrilling theatrical presentation. Wilbur, the irresistible young pig desperately wants to avoid the butcher; joins Fern, a girl who understands what animals say to each other; Templeton, the gluttonous rat who can occasionally be talked into a good deed; the Zuckerman family; the Arables; and, most of all, the extraordinary spider, Charlotte, who proves to be “a true friend and a good writer.” Determined to save Wilbur, Charlotte begins her campaign with the "miracle" of her web in which she writes, "Some pig." It's the beginning of a victorious campaign which ultimately ends with the now-safe Wilbur doing what is most important to Charlotte. This is a beautiful, knowing play about true friendship.