PHOTO FLASH: Yoshi Oida Returns to New York After 12-Year Absence

Yoshi Oida will return to New York after an absence of 12 years to offer two performances of his 1972 comic one-man play Interrogations: Words of the Zen Masters at The Japan Society on October 8 & 9 at 7:30pm.

In the play, a Zen master gives a test to one of his students, who must answer a series of questions framed in koans (riddles that defy rational thought) correctly in order to “graduate” (e.g. “How does a man who has climbed to the top of a pole go farther?”). The test continues for several days, designed to determine if the student has reached enlightenment. Live accompaniment by Berlin-based experimental musician Dieter Trüstedt underscores the action.

Since its debut, Oida has performed the work around the world with recent engagements in Italy, Spain and Austria this past summer.