Happy World Theatre Day!

Do you enjoy going to the theatre? Do you consider yourself a theatre connoisseur? If you answered "yes" to these questions, then you know today's significance: it's World Theatre Day.

According to International Theatre Institute (ITI) with international headquarters in France, "Since 1962, World Theatre Day has been celebrated by ITI Centres, ITI Cooperating Members, theatre professionals, theatre organizations, theatre universities, and theatre lovers all over the world on the 27th of March. This day is a celebration for those who see the value and importance of the "theatre" art form, and acts as a wake-up-call for governments, politicians, and institutions which have not yet recognised its value to the people and to the individual and have not yet realised its potential for economic growth."

Each year, "a figure in theatre or a person outstanding in heart and spirit from another field is invited to share his or her reflections on theatre and international harmony. What is known as the International Message is translated into more than 50 languages, read for tens of thousands of spectators before performances in theatres throughout the world, and printed in hundreds of daily newspapers. Colleagues in the audio-visual field lend a fraternal hand, with more than a hundred radio and television stations transmitting the Message to listeners in all corners of the five continents."

This year, actor William Dafoe provided the Message for World Theatre Day 2026:

"I am an actor principally know as a film actor. But my roots are deeply in the theatre. I was a member of the Wooster Group from 1977-2003 creating and performing original pieces at The Performing Garage in NYC and touring throughout the world. I have also worked with Richard Foreman, Robert Wilson and Romeo Castellucci. Now, I am the Artistic Director of The Venice Theatre Biennale. This appointment, the events in the world, and my desire to return to theatre work has strongly formed my belief in the unique positive power and importance of the theatre.

At the humble beginning of my time in The Wooster Group, the NY based theatre company, we would often get very little public at some of the performances at our theatre. Often the rule was if there were more performers than public we could choose to cancel. But we never did. Many of the company were not trained in the theatre but were people of different disciplines that came together to make theatre- so “the show must go on” was not really our mantra, however we felt an obligation to keep our meeting with the public.

We would also often rehearse during the day and in the evening show the material as a work in progress. We would sometimes spend years on a show while sustaining ourselves with touring of older performances. Working years on a piece would often become tedious for me and I found rehearsals somewhat trying but these works in progress showings were always exciting-even if the tiny public was a damning judgment of the level of interest in what we were doing. It just made me realize how no matter how few people, the audience as witness gave the theatre its meaning and life.

Like the sign in the gambling hall says “YOU MUST BE PRESENT TO WIN.” Shared experience in real time of an act of creation, that may be scored and designed but is always different, is certainly the obvious strength of the theatre. Socially, politically, theatre has never been so important and vital to our understanding of ourselves and the world.

SHARE THIS: Socially, politically, theatre has never been so important and vital to our understanding of ourselves and the world. ~William Dafoe for @ITIworldwide #WorldTheatreDay #DebbieLaskeysBlog

The "elephant in the room" is new technologies and social networking, which promises connection but seemingly has fragmented and isolated people from each other. I use my computer daily even if I have no social media, I have even googled myself as an actor, and have also consulted AI for information. But you have to be blind not to recognize that human contact risks being replaced by relationships with devices. While some technology can serve us well, the problem of not knowing who’s on the other end of the circle of communication runs deep and contributes to a crisis of truth and reality. While the internet can raise questions, it very seldom captures a sense of wonder that theatre creates. A wonder based in attention, engagement and a spontaneous community of those present in a circle of action and response.

As an actor and theatre maker, I remain a believer in the power of theatre. In a world that seems to get more divisive, controlling and violent, our challenge as theatre makers is to avoid the corruption of theatre solely as a commercial enterprise dedicated to the entertainment by distraction or as the dry institutional preserver of traditions, but rather to foster its strength to connect peoples, communities, cultures and above all to question where we are going. Great theatre is about challenging how we think and encouraging us to imagine what we aspire to.

SHARE THIS: Great theatre is about challenging how we think and encouraging us to imagine what we aspire to. ~William Dafoe for @ITIworldwide #WorldTheatreDay #DebbieLaskeysBlog

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."

From a marketing perspective, successful theatre productions - and especially musicals - have beome part of society's collective storytelling as well as internationally-known brands.

So, back to my initial questions...Which are your favorite theatrical productions? Mine are "Phantom of the Opera," "Les Miserables," "AIDA," "An Enemy of the People," and "CATS." Of course, I'm also a fan of "Sunset Boulevard," "Starlight Express," "Wicked" "Moulin Rouge," "A Chorus Line," "Frozen," "Aladdin," and "Hamilton."

Lucky me, I have tickets to see "Phantom" in June!

Image Credit: Marna Otoni via Pinterest.

Read more about World Theatre Day at ITI's website:

https://www.world-theatre-day.org/