World Theatre Day is observed on March 27 every year. (Representational)
World Theatre Day is observed on March 27. The International Theatre Institute (ITI) – the world’s largest performing arts body – first observed World Theatre Day in 1962. Several institutions organise events to commemorate this day. On this day, ITI, on its official website, uploads performance videos from their various centres across the world.
You can watch those celebration videos on March 27 by clicking here.
Why is World Theatre Day celebrated?
The aim of World Theatre Day is to create awareness about the medium and also highlight the contributions of stalwarts who’ve made the stage their oyster. The ITI Conference was held in Helsinki in Finland, and the second one in Vienna.
To mark the day, each year an outstanding figure from the field of theatre or a person “outstanding in heart and spirit” from some other field is invited to share her/his reflections and understanding on this art form.
What are the objectives of World Theatre Day?
The official website of the World Theatre Day lists its goals as:
- Promoting theatre in all its forms across the world.
- Making people aware of the value of theatre in all its forms. Enabling theatre communities to promote their work on a broad scale, so that governments and opinion leaders are aware of the value and importance of dance in all its forms and support it.
- Enjoying theatre in all its forms for its own sake.
- Sharing the joy for theatre with others.
Is there a message for World Theatre Day 2021?
Yes, there is a message for World Theatre Day 2021 by English actress Helen Mirren.
In her message, while underlining how difficult the year has been for “live performance and many artists, technicians and craftsmen and women”, Mirren says: “Maybe that always present insecurity has made them more able to survive this pandemic with wit and courage.”
She further states: “Human beings have told each other stories for as long as they have been on the planet. The beautiful culture of theatre will live for as long as we stay here. The creative urge of writers, designers, dancers, singers, actors, musicians, directors, will never be suffocated and in the very near future will flourish again with a new energy and a new understanding of the world we all share.”
“I can’t wait!” she concludes.
Mirren has won several accolades, including the Academy Award in 2007 for her performance in The Queen.
Take a look at these movies adapted from plays:
Pygmalion: The George Bernard Shaw play about love and the English class system was adapted into a movie of the same name in 1938. In 1964, it was made into another movie, My Fair Lady, starring Audrey Hepburn.
Macbeth: William Shakespeare’s plays have been time and again depicted on the big screen. One of the famous adaptations of the play in Hindi was by filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj, who called his movie Maqbool. It starred the late Irrfan Khan, Tabu and Pankaj Kapoor in pivotal roles.
Othello: Vishal Bhardwaj took the plot from a Shakespeare play and directed the movie Omkara. Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan played the key roles.
Hamlet: For the third time, Vishal Bharadwaj made a movie based on a play by Shakespeare. Haider featured Irrfan Khan, Tabu and Shahid Kapoor.
Romeo and Juliet: A brilliant adaptation of this play was done by filmmaker Baz Luhrman in 1996, who called the movie, Romeo + Juliet. Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes were cast as famous lovers.