On 27 March the International Theatre Institute (ITI) – the world organisation for performing arts, once again celebrated World Theatre Day.

Please visit http://www.world-theatre-day.org/ for a video recording of the oration made by South African playwright Brett Bailey.  It is available in 15 languages and truly expresses the theatre impulse from time immemorial and the wondrous opportunities for theatre in the 21st century global village.

http://www.world-theatre-day.org/en/authors.html provides a list of the orators and their speeches from the inception of the celebration in 1962 when Jean Cocteau was the presenter.  The list is an impressive assemblage of people who have contributed to world theatre. On World Theatre Day, 2010, Judi Dench suggested ‘in many ways every day should be considered a theatre day, as we have a responsibility to continue the tradition to entertain, to educate and to enlighten our audiences, without whom we couldn’t exist.’

May every day be a theatre day for you.