Japan Society to Present North American Premiere of LE TAMBOUR DE SOIE (THE SILK DRUM)
The French-Japanese production will run October 24–25, 2025 as part of Crossing The Line Festival.
By: A.A. Cristi Sep. 18, 2025
Japan Society will present the North American premiere of LE TAMBOUR DE SOIE (THE SILK DRUM), conceived and co-created by Yoshi Oida and Kaori Ito with a script by acclaimed French screenwriter and novelist Jean-Claude Carrière, based on Yukio Mishima’s modern noh play. Performed by Ito, Paul Lazar, and musician and sound artist Makoto Yabuki, the production will have two performances only—Friday, October 24 and Saturday, October 25 at 8:00 p.m.—at Japan Society (333 East 47th Street).
Mingling dance, theater, live music, and spoken text, LE TAMBOUR DE SOIE adapts Mishima’s modern take on the classic noh play Aya no Tsuzumi. The story centers on an old man desperate for love and a young woman whose teasing indifference leads to his tragic downfall. What begins in comedy quickly twists into cruelty and ghostly haunting.
Premiering at the Festival d’Avignon in 2020, the work was originally performed by Ito and Oida and has since toured internationally. For its North American premiere, Paul Lazar—co-founder of Big Dance Theater—joins Ito onstage, with a live score by Provence-based artist Yabuki.
Ticket Information
LE TAMBOUR DE SOIE (THE SILK DRUM)
Friday, October 24 at 8:00 p.m. (followed by a private gathering for artists and members)
Saturday, October 25 at 8:00 p.m. (followed by an artist Q&A)
Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street, New York, NY
Tickets are $55 / $42 for Japan Society members. Each ticket also includes complimentary same-day admission to Chiharu Shiota: Two Home Countries at Japan Society Gallery, on view through January 11, 2026. Tickets may be purchased at japansociety.org/events/le-tambour-de-soie or by calling 212-715-1258.
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