World Theatre Day Blog

This coming Friday, March 27, theatre artists the world over will spend part of their day acknowledging and honouring the larger community of the art form they share in. Designated “World Theatre Day” by the International Theatre Institute, this a marvelous opportunity for us to celebrate together an art form and a way of life that binds us, regardless of borders, language or political differences. It’s a day of communion.

A small group of us theatre types from several points around the planet got to talking about this day on twitter a while back (twitter’s handy for pan-continental conversation) and decided it was a worthy enough idea to give it some broader exposure. So being fairly Web 2.0-minded, we set up a blog to raise some awareness and to act as a virtual gathering spot for our fellow theatre artists to meet ‘n greet. Our mission, in a nutshell, was this:

1. Do something that expresses your love of theatre.

2. Share it with the world.

Well, I’m proud to say the idea has proven to have legs. I’d even go so far as to say it’s taken flight. We’ve been getting letters telling us about WTD events that we’ve had to run through google translator to be able to read. Here, check the WTD map. My favourite response on the blog so far told us that: وب لاگ نوجوانان linked here saying, “1 فروردين: روز جهاني رفع تبع …” It’s wonderful, and wonderfully inspiring.

The key to the project is its simplicity. We’re fascilitating that part of us that loves to be a part of a community bound by passion. We would love you to join us if you feel so inclined.

Here’s what I’m doing on Friday. Two members of my theatre company just so happen to be involved in a play that’s running that night. One of them wrote it, the other is in it. (It’s Bill Marchant’s Ashes at the Firehall, click here for all the info, and a word from Bill.) So we’re taking the night off from creating, and we’re taking a field trip…dinner together, drinks, then we’re going to sit in the dark and watch some enlightening art. The director of the play is reading Augusto Boal’s WTD message just before curtain, which I’m going to video tape and upload to the site for all to see. After the play we’re all going to trip down to the Vancouver WTD after-party and raise a glass to our fellow artists around the world, and drop some good wishes onto the site as well. I hope to see you there, live in person or on the blog.

What are you guys doing? Share in the comments, or better yet, upload some video, photos or text to the media feed like this…

Simon Ogden | The Next Stage Theatrezine