After 5: Made in Japan, a Passport to the Arts

Keep in mind, the musicians were all men.

John “Indian” Ehlers – a founding member of The Garbonzos – remembers the Japanese audiences being extremely receptive during their very enjoyable trip.

Through the end of October, the tables are turned as Springfield is getting a healthy dose of Japanese culture by way of Made in Japan: A Passport to the Arts. Ongoing exhibits and one-time events at the Gillioz Theatre, the Library Center and the Creamery Arts Center culminate with two Springfield Regional Opera performances of Giacomo Puccini’s beautiful “Madama Butterfly” on Oct. 26 and 28 at the Gillioz, 325 Park Central West. The opera is sung in Italian with English supertitles.

Samurai kickoff

Things kicked off Oct. 5 at the Gillioz with a showing of Akira Kurosawa’s sumptuous and inestimably influential masterpiece, “The Seven Samurai.”

Dan and Nicole Chilton, owners of Moxie Cinema, helped the Gillioz raise money for a 35mm projector, and “Seven Samurai” was the first 35mm film shown at the Gillioz since “The Amityville Horror” in July 1980. The screen at the Gillioz is the largest in town and did justice to Kurosawa’s classic. The sound seems to be much better now than it was for the 16mm films shown at the theater recently; more 35mm presentations are planned.

Ongoing exhibits

Also on display at the Gillioz are two related exhibits, Photography of Japanese Stroll Garden, by Paul Redfearn, and Kimono: An Exhibit of Japanese Dress and Art, with artwork by Mary Hamilton, Hing-Wah Hatch, Missouri State University Professor Judith Fowler and some of Fowler’s students.

The kimonos are beautiful, and the artwork has the sort of calming quality associated with Japanese watercolor. It’s very Zen.

Redfearn’s photos of Springfield’s Japanese garden are very nice. If you’ve been to the Mizumoto Stroll Garden located in Nathanael Greene Park, 2400 S. Scenic Ave., you don’t need encouragement to revisit it. If you have not been, go. It, too, has a wonderfully relaxing effect on the spirit.

Grand finale

The big to-do is SRO’s performances of “Madama Butterfly.”

Sushi and sake dinners start the shows – at 6 p.m. before the Oct. 26 performance and at 1 p.m. before the Oct. 28 performance. The affairs will be held at Wellington Place, inside the Gillioz. Reservations are required for the dinners (see The Japanese Itinerary below).

Also leading into the opera performances are kimono demonstrations on the second floor of the Gillioz, in the rotunda, one of the renovated theater’s most striking features.

Made in Japan: A Passport to the Arts is co-sponsored by Springfield Regional Opera, Springfield Sister Cities Association, Springfield Regional Arts Council, Moxie Cinema, Gillioz Theatre, First Friday Artwalk, Missouri State University Art Department, The Library Center and the Urban Districts Alliance.

The Japanese Itinerary

• Photography of Japanese Stroll Garden and Kimono: An Exhibit of Japanese Dress and Art, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. weekdays through Oct. 31 at Gillioz Theatre, 325 Park Central West. Call (417) 863-9491.

• Library Center Exhibit, during library hours through Oct. 28 at The Library Center, 4653 S. Campbell Ave. Call (417) 882-0714.

• Calligraphy and Origami for Children, 10 a.m.–noon Oct. 27 at Creamery Arts Center, 411 N. Sherman Ave. Call (417) 862-2787

• “Madama Butterfly,” 7:30 p.m. Oct. 26 and 2 p.m. Oct. 28 at the Gillioz. For tickets, which range from $28 to $50, call (417) 836-7678.

• Sushi and Sake with Kimono Demonstration, before the “Madama Butterfly” performances, at Wellington Place and the Gillioz. For reservations to dinner, which costs $29.95/person or $54.95/couple, call (417) 866-4630.