I remember this Japanese (I think) children's cartoon series where these characters run a theatre, and each episode they have to stage a play in time. The episodes revolved around the setting up of the play, behind-the-scenes as much as, if not more than, the plays themselves.
The main character was this penguin with a sailor's hat and a red bow. I see it very clearly in my head but I can't remember the name of that show. Sound familiar?