Celebrating World Theatre Day

By Brandon Moore, Communications Coordinator

World Theatre Day is celebrating its 50th anniversary today.  There is an official International Message, written by John Malkovich, and a Canadian Message, written by Daniel David Moses and translated by David Baudemont.  I saw a message from the Stratford Shakespeare Festival [PDF] (and if any other Ontario theatres produced something that I missed, please add it to the comments...)  But of all the reflections that I’ve seen so far today, two in particular connected with me personally.

First, in “Just Another Day” on 2amtheatre.com, Travis Bedard reminds us that it’s what we ourselves bring to it that makes the day, and he offers an eloquent theatre wish for the coming year.

But my favourite is “Snakes and tails and Theatre Day grails.”  Kris Joseph writes about recent events that have “done more for the visibility and impact of theatrical practice than the current form of World Theatre Day can muster”—and how in order to be meaningful, the declarations of the value of theatre shouldn't be coming from us.