World Theatre Day
Magical places where stories come to life, the stage is a portal to other worlds, transporting audiences by the power of live performance.
Dating back a few thousand years, theatre is a unique and interesting part of culture that has certainly evolved over time. The word “theatre” gets its roots from an ancient Greek word that means “a place for seeing”, and that definition continues to be meaningful today. Even after so many centuries, theatre continues to be used as a way to not only tell stories and see things, but to make an impact on culture and society at large.
Whether writing and directing, producing and acting, creating beautiful costumes or doing lighting and scene design, theatre is a medium of art that requires a wide range of talented artists involved in a variety of ways. And World Theatre Day is here to show appreciation for those who give their time and talent to make the show go on.
History of World Theatre Day
World Theatre Day was initiated in 1962 by the International Theatre Institute (ITI) as a day to pay respect to and celebrate the beauty, creativity, hard work and artistry that goes into all of the aspects of theatre production. And it was meant to remind people about the great power that theatre can bring about, whether it is celebrated locally or globally.
Today, the World Theatre Day continues to be sponsored by ITI, which is the World Organization for Performing Arts, and the day also under the patronage of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.
In 2022, World Theatre Day celebrated its 60th anniversary with a worldwide online celebration. The Opera, Theatre and Festival Director, Peter Sellers, was the host of the event and offered the annual message. In addition, the celebration included a platform for theatrical expression that offered performances from 37 different emerging artists that hailed from countries all over the globe. These performances were recorded and broadcast on the ITI website so that they could be viewed from anywhere in the world.
World Theatre Day continues to be an important time to celebrate each year for those who support and love the theatre. Patrons of local theatre, costume designers, musicians, script-writers, set designers, actors and so many others will take delight in raising awareness for the observance of this day that is so vital to the arts.
World Theatre Day Timeline
1000 BC
Ancient Greek theatre begins
Plays for entertainment and education are based on ancient myths or legends.
1599
Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre opens
After the lease on their previous theatre wasn’t renewed, the Shakespeare company builds and opens their own theatre in London.
1600s
Kabuki Theatre begins in Japan
This form of Japanese dance-drama becomes known for its heavily stylized performances.
1735
First theatre opens on Broadway
Theatrical activity begins on New York City’s famous Broadway.
1962
First World Theatre Day is celebrated
Founded by the International Theatre Institute (ITI), the first World Theatre Day is observed by the international theatre community.
How to Celebrate World Theatre Day
Have tons of fun enjoying World Theatre Day with a delightful variety of ways to celebrate. Get started with some of these ideas:
Visit a Local Theatre
World Theatre Day brings with it an amazing opportunity to enjoy and celebrate by catching a show – or even a couple of shows! Whether the show takes place on the day or sometime near it on the calendar, a perfect way to celebrate would be to book tickets for an onstage performance. No matter if it is a comedy, tragedy, musical, drama or even an opera, viewing a theatre performance live and in-person is the best way to pay homage to this amazing form of art.
Supporting the arts locally is a great way to celebrate and raise awareness for the day. It might be a play put on by an elementary school or high school, or it might be a community theatre. Even better than showing support by buying tickets to just one show, go ahead and enjoy the fun of season tickets for the whole family!
Get Involved with a Local Theatre
The need for talented people to volunteer is a vital part of putting on local community theatre shows. Those who are performers may be interested in trying out for a lead role or just a supporting part. Musicians might want to try out to be part of the orchestra or band ensemble for musical performances. Graphic designers might even be needed to design marketing items.
And those who don’t feel artistic in those ways don’t need to be left out! Administrative folks can work with the advertising crew or ticket sales team to make sure the box office runs as smoothly as possible. Everyone is needed to pull off a great show, and World Theatre Day is just the time to get involved.
Catch the World Theatre Day Message
Each year, it is tradition for the International Theatre Institute to provide a message that brings greetings and encouragement for those who are involved with, or simply appreciate, the theatre in its various forms. The theme promoted for World Theatre Day is the same each year: Theatre and a Culture of Peace.
These messages are typically translated into a variety of languages so that people from countries and cultures all over the globe can hear, understand and enjoy. Today, it is easier than ever to get access to these annual messages because they are recorded and placed online at the World Theatre Day website.
Raise Awareness About World Theatre Day
One important part of keeping theatre alive is by sharing with friends and family members about the importance of theatre in the world today. Learn some factors about why live theatre is so important in the digital age, and then perhaps share them to start a conversation with others.
Perhaps some of these ideas would be good for starting an encouraging conversation about theatre in honor of World Theatre Day:
Live theatre helps promote social dialogue, discourse and possibly social change. Theatre can be used to identify and address problems, listen to opposing points of view and create opportunities for self-examination.
Theatre promotes literacy and education. Students who are involved in the theatre have been shown in studies to have better academic performance at school.
Live theatre creates community. Reminding people that they are not alone, theatre builds opportunity for people in groups and communities to collaborate and enjoy shared experiences with others. It’s a way to promote human connection not only with the cast, but also with a live audience.
Theatre helps to open minds. Offering unique and different perspectives on a vast array of topics, theatre brings people the opportunity to see the world from a different point of view with new and diverse voices.
World Theatre Day FAQs
Can theatre change the world?
For centuries, theatre has been a part of cultural and social change, raising awareness and inspiring people to take action.
Can theatre help with anxiety?
One study shows that some teens who struggle with social anxiety have found improvisational theatre to be helpful.
When did theatre start in Greece?
Theatre in Ancient Greece started around 1000 BC.
Is theatre a sport?
Although it is not necessarily athletic, some people consider theatre to have the attributes of a team sport.
Are theatres cold?
Many theatres are air conditioned and can be cold, so it’s good to dress in layers.
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World Theater Day
The theater has been one of the most popular forms of entertainment since the Greeks, and the acting industry today is a hard but potentially prosperous career. If you have ever been in theater or seen a live show, you know how fun theater can be. It may seem like a dying industry due to the movie industry taking its role, but for those who love the art of theater, then you should know about World Theater day! Let’s find out about this special holiday and celebrate it!
Learn about World Theater Day
World Theater Day has been created to pay tribute to this incredible form of entertainment. People have enjoyed going to the theater for many years now. It is a great way to spend time with loved ones and to witness live entertainment. There is just something magical about the theater, isn’t there?
History of World Theater Day
Initiated in 1961 by the International theater Institute (ITI), each year theaters across the world celebrate the value and importance of theater, and this holiday acts as a wake-up call for governments, politicians, and institutions to see its value to society and for economic growth. ITI also host a yearly message, spoken by a chosen famous theater performer, to share their reflections on the art of theater and its future. The first of those messages were spoken by Jean Cocteau in 1962.
This message is translated into over 50 languages, read for thousands of spectators, and printed in hundreds of newspapers. It also spreads the message by broadcast to all corners of the world through their institutions. Because ITI has over 90 centers throughout the world, the institute also encourages colleges, schools, and theater professionals to celebrate this holiday as well.
The date of this holiday also corresponds with the opening of the Theater of Nations season in Paris. The goals of this holiday, according to ITI, is to promote theater in all corners of the world, bring awareness to the value of theater in all its forms, to help promote local theater communities on a broader scale, and to share the love of theater with others.
How to Celebrate World Theater Day
While many of the celebrations happen at ITI locations, it doesn’t mean you can’t join them. You can contact and coordinate it with the ITI Centre or Cooperating Member in their country or region to participate. You can also read/hear the message of their chosen speaker and spread it across social media using the hashtag #worldtheaterday.
If you want to do something of your own, visit your local theater and support them by donating to their affiliated organizations and maybe buy tickets to see some of their hosted concerts. You can even join a theater program and learn music and acting in your local area. It’s lots of fun and you can even encourage your friends to join in on the action and make it a group activity.
One show that we recommend is Top Hat. If you can’t watch it at a theater near you, you can always watch the film! Irving Berlin is deemed one of the greatest ever songwriters in American history by a lot of people. The composer and lyricist lived a long and colourful life and the world was lucky enough to be blessed by his phenomenal talent.
When he passed away in 1989, at the grand age of 101, his legacy certainly did not die. Many still celebrate his achievements today and there is no better example of this then Top Hat the Musical. Top Hat the Musical achieved massive success. A lot of this success has derived from the incorporation of Berlin’s music. After all, he did write the original songs that were incorporated in the 1935 original film featuring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers.
In fact, this is deemed to be one of his most notable and loved works. Two of the songs – ‘Cheek to Cheek’ and ‘Top Hat, White Tie and Tails’ – are now considered to be American classics. If you are looking for a great sing-a-long you are assured to love the musical version of Top Hat. It doesn’t matter whether you have seen the original or not. And don’t worry; the show is not merely about songs, the plot is fantastic and really funny too!
Or, what about We Will Rock You? One of the main reasons why this show created such a buzz is because of the fact that it incorporates an array of well-known and well-loved Queen songs. This is what immediately draws people to go to see the musical in the first place. Yet, once the reviews started pouring in people discovered that there was a lot more to this show than having a sing-a-long to the hits from the world-famous rock band.
And so those who are not even a fan of Queen started to go and see the show and they were as equally as impressed as the biggest Queen admirers were. Belting out iconic tunes by Freddie Mercury and co is by no means an easy challenge. Yet the cast does it to perfection. They have embodied the big anthem feel that Queen has with all of their songs and they manage to get the whole theaters and arenas rocking. When taking on such massive songs quite often it is easy to fall short, but it’s definitely not the case when it comes to this rocking musical.
And finally, for those of you who think talent shows are ruining the music industry, you will definitely love the plot of this show. It follows a world whereby rock has been killed and commercialized pop music runs riot. Many would say that we are not far off from this happening in the current day. Yet, it’s unlikely that all humans will have ID cards rather than names anytime soon – as they do in the musical.
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