Kent State Stark Campus will present “The Mikado” this weekend at the campus’s Fine Arts Theatre.

“The Mikado” is part of three Japanese cultural arts events hosted by the theater and art departments at the Stark campus in conjunction with the “Kimono as Art: The Landscapes of Itchika Kubota” exhibition at the Canton Museum of Art.

“The Mikado” tells the story of Nanki-Poo, who leaves home to escape an arranged marriage. He meets a beautiful girl, Yum-Yum, and falls in love. He desperately wants to marry her, but obstacles are cast in his way.

“I like the humor of it,” said Phil Robb, director of the play and assistant professor of theater. “The dialogue and the music and the lyrics are all very clever, which make the opera wonderful in that way.”

Performances will take place at 8 p.m. tonight and tomorrow. Additional performances will run at 8 p.m. Feb. 20 and 21. Matinee performances will take place at 2:30 p.m. Sunday and Feb. 22.

All of the proceeds from tonight’s performance will benefit music and theater scholarships at the Stark campus.

Ticket prices are $12 for adults and $5 for non-Kent State students, children and senior citizens. All Kent State students are admitted free of charge with a current student I.D. For reservations and group rates, contact the Stark campus theater box office.

Other events taking place as part of the Japanese cultural arts events are “Inspired by Japan: Resist Dye Techniques Traditional and Modern” and “Kimono: Shapes of Time.”

– Mary Jo Spletzer