ABSTRACT
Pellecchia analyses Corrado Pavolini's Il tamburo di panno (1939), a rare direct adaptation of the nō play Aya no tsuzumi for the Italian stage. Emerging amid fascist cultural policy and the Rome–Tokyo Axis, the production reflected both artistic experimentation and political diplomacy. Pavolini reconfigured nō's form into dialogue-based theatre, clarifying ambiguities and adapting symbols for Western audiences, while retaining the play's tragic core. Reception underscored its dual function as aesthetic innovation and cultural tribute. By tracing nō's Italian reception through theatre, radio, and opera, the chapter highlights its transnational circulation and political resonance across cultural and historical boundaries.
