What is World Theatre Day and how are people celebrating it?

Think of anything, anything at all, and there will most likely be a day dedicated to it somewhere on the calendar. Today is World Theatre Day, but what exactly does that mean? And how do people celebrate it?

What is World Theatre Day

Not to be confused with National Cinema Day, this is a holiday that is celebrated every March 27th and it’s all about, you guessed it, the importance of the performing arts. The purpose of the day is to promote the art of theatre as well as emphasize its significance in entertaining and educating people throughout human history going all the way back to ancient Greece. Before you ask, no, it’s not a national holiday, so you won’t get a day off of work in honor of it. 

The first World Theatre Day was held in 1961 and was created by the International Theatre Institute, (ITI for short). Various ITI centers as well as other organizations now celebrate the day every year and it has only become more popular since its initial inception.

How do people celebrate World Theatre Day?

According to the World Theatre Day official website, the way to celebrate the day is to promote the annual message. The message is part of the tradition; it is written by a person selected by the ITI. The first message was from the French playwright, novelist, and poet, Jean Cocteau in 1962. It is shared to thousands of theatre goers, usually before a play is performed, although it is also broadcast on radio and television. 

This year’s author of the message was Norwegian writer and playwright, Jon Fosse and it has been translated into over 30 languages in order to be shared in theatres worldwide. You can find Fosse’s message in a language of your choice on the World Theatre Day official site.