How to Celebrate World Theatre Day
Who can celebrate?
Celebrations open to everyone
The main pillars of ITI – the ITI Centres and Cooperating Members – are the driving force behind the celebration of World Theatre Day in their country or region. A celebration on the day itself or around it can be organized and promoted by anyone and everyone. Theatres, theatre and dance institutions, theatre and performing arts universities, government institutions, ministries of cultures, theatre and dance makers and theatre and dance lovers all over the world are invited to celebrate World Theatre Day.
ITI recommends that individuals or institutions who want to celebrate a day coordinate it with the ITI Centre or Cooperating Member in their country or region. The list of member addresses can be found in the directory online at www.iti-worldwide.org.
Translation of the message
Due to the multitude of languages that exist all over the world, and because the message should be understood by the people in a country or region, the message of World Theatre Day is always translated into the country’s language or languages and the same goes for the short biography of the author.The translations are sent to the General Secretariat of ITI for publication on the website www.world-theatre-day.org or www.iti-worldwide.org as soon as the message is publicly released, so that they can be used by all.
Promotion of the message with video / YouTube
a) The message author reads the messageA video of the World Theatre Day message author reading his/her message on YouTube has been a successful way to promote the message. To have the author read his/her message on a video that can be uploaded on YouTube and different websites is ideal. Usually this is done through an agreement between the author and the General Secretariat of ITI and the produced video is made available for use all over the world.
b) Prominent theatre personalities read the message
Sometimes it is not possible to have the author read his/her message. In this case, ITI asks its Centres, Cooperating Members and friends to select a personality, well known in a region or a country, to read the translated message in his/her language and to send the video to the General Secretariat for post-production and publishing on the ITI websites and YouTube. For the message of Dario Fo, written for World Theatre Day 2013, you will find more than 20 videos on YouTube with theatre personalities from all over the world reading the message of Dario Fo in their language.
Promotion of the message on stage
In some countries the message is read on World Theatre Day itself (or around the day) before a show begins. The message can also be read before/after the intermission or in the lobby of a theatre venue. Parallel to this, leaflets with the message and the biography of the author can be placed on the seats or distributed at the ticket office or at the entrance of the theatre or dance venue.Publishing of the message in print media
Additionally to distributing leaflets with the message and the biography of the message author, the message can be sent to newspapers and magazines for publication. This has to be coordinated with the General Secretariat, as soon as the message is available in the original language and in the language required by the newspaper or magazine.
Books and posters
Sometimes the latest message is printed together with all previous messages in a book and released on World Theatre Day. This has already been the case in English, Bangla (Bengali), Arabic and Kannada (India), among others. If you would like to have a copy of our past messages, they are available on www.world-theatre-day.org, in English and French.A way of promoting the message can be a poster with a photo or photos of the author and his/her message.
Promotion of the message via radio, TV, press and internet
ITI Centres, Cooperating Members and friends are asked to send the World Theatre Day Message to the news media. If the author is available, he or she should give interviews. This can also be done through video conference with a TV station or over the phone with a radio station. If possible, the General Secretariat of ITI liaises between the author and the media.Theatre venues and organizations should post the messages on their website.
The text of the message is available in different languages.
Promotion of the message with a special event, a charity performance, etc.
The types of events organized around World Theatre Day are as numerous as the ideas which inspire them. Here is a short list of the major ones which can be done on or around World Theatre Day, 27 March:• Special Theatre Award Ceremonies;
• Charity performances for organizations, people or specific issues connected with theatre;
• Fundraising for a special project with a gala, ball, dinner, etc.;
• Open doors for theatre schools, theatre academies or universities;
• Free tickets during World Theatre Day for selected performances;
• Conferences, special performances, symposia, colloquia and round tables;
• Meetings with stage directors or actors/actresses;
• Street theatre festivals;
• Manifestation/procession for theatre
Promote the World Theatre Day with your own ideas
Your creativity is encouraged. Many ideas can be developed for the celebration of World Theatre Day. There are already blogs to give you inspiration available on the internet.For example, in Italy, the government is helping to organize playwriting competitions for young people. There can also be special stamps for one of the days.
So your creativity is encouraged! Please do send us your ideas and your kind of event, and also where and when you celebrate the day, so that we can put it on the Celebration Map on our websites.
If you would like to contact us, tell us about what you plan to do, or need more information or advice, please write an email to: info(at)iti-worldwide.org