My Time With Jun

I had the great pleasure of being a part of the process to create this Madama Butterfly production when I was working as the Director of Production at Opera Omaha. The General Director told me of a Japanese visual artist in town who she wanted to talk to about designing the production.

His name is Jun Kaneko. Jun is a Japanese ceramic artist living in Omaha. You can see his work on his website, www.junkaneko.com

After deciding to move forward, I spent a lot of time meeting with Jun and talking him through the theatrical experience. I would invite him backstage to see the workings of each opera I did over the course of his design process. I pretty much spent the next 2 years teaching him Theatre 101. He would come up with ideas, and I would tell him why they were great ideas, but would not work in a theatre. Then I would have to show him how it would work in theatre. You have to remember: this man had never designed for the stage in his life!

Month after month, Jun would catch on to the process of designing for the stage. A VERY bright and wonderful man!


Photo courtesy of Takashi Hatakeyama

So, 2 years later, we had a finished product that opened to rave reviews. This production has gone on to rent about 6 times. A year ago, Jun finished his second scenic design for the stage. Jun designed a Fidelio for Opera Company of Philadelphia. Jun will visit Vancouver during the Butterfly production. I am greatly looking forward to seeing my old friend again!

~ Terry Harper, Director of Production