In a fit of misplaced hope and perhaps vanity, I would hope that lots of folks who don’t ordinarily attend the theatre do so today on World Theatre Day. Of course in that same misplaced vanity, I would hope more would do so more often on any day.
World Theatre Day is an international observance that started in 1962 by the International Theatre Institute to promote live theatre as an art form across the world. Each year a different theatre artist is recognized and provides a message, sharing his or her reflections on the theme of theatre and a Culture of Peace. This year’s choice is Willem Dafoe.
Here’s an excerpt from his message:
We are social animals and designed biologically for engagement with the world. Every sense organ is a gateway for encounter and through this meeting we achieve greater definition of who we are. Through storytelling, aesthetics, language, movement, scenography – theatre as a total art form can make us see what was, what is and what our world could be.
As Jean Cocteau said in the first World Theatre Day message shared by the ITI:
We gather to weep and to remember; to laugh and to contemplate; to learn and to affirm and to imagine.
Go see a play.
You can also find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above.
Life on the Wicked Stage: Act 3 