Gillioz Theatre
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The Gillioz Theatre was built by M. E. Gillioz of Monett, Missouri. It opened on October 11, 1926, in Springfield, Missouri. Gillioz managed to secure a 100-year lease on one 16-foot wide piece of storefront which opened to Route 66, so that the theatre could garner patrons who traveled on that historic highway. After many properous years, and many not-so-prosperous years, the "Gillioz, Threatre Beautiful," finally offered its last show in the summer of 1980, an opera.
The theatre was a transition theatre, as its small stage provided room for live acts of vaudeville, but nothing more elaborate, as the theatre mainly served to show films.
There are rumors of a ghost, and the walls of the theatre literally gave up tales of sordid love affairs as the theatre was being remodeled.
Many famous people visited the Gillioz Theatre, including then-actor, Ronald Reagan, and his new wife, Nancy Davis. Reagan and Davis were at the Gillioz for a world premier of the 1952 film The Winning Team. Elvis even squirrelled away an afternoon at the Gillioz after performing sound checks for an evening show at the nearby Shrine Mosque.
The Gillioz re-opened in October 2006 with Encore 2006, 16 days of special events uniting Missouri State University's College of Arts and Letters with the Gillioz Theatre Board of Directors in a union that ensures continued community support and awareness of this historical treasure.
[edit] References
Baumlin, James S., ed. (October 2006). The Gillioz "Theatre Beautiful": Remembering Springfield's Theatre History, 1926-2006.. Moon City Press. ISBN 0-913785-05-9.
Official Gillioz Theatre Website
