Contributed by Amanda Feldman
Every year for the past 49 years the International Theatre Institute invites a theatre luminary to share his or her reflections on theatre and international harmony. What is known as the International Message is translated into more than 20 languages, read for tens of thousands of spectators before performances in theatres throughout the world and printed in hundreds of daily newspapers. This year ITI asked Jessica Kaahwa, an inspiring playwright and theatre academic from Uganda. In addition, TCG, which is home to the US Center of ITI, has invited actor Jeffrey Wright to issue his remarks on the occasion.
We will post Jessica and Jeffrey’s messages once they are released but in the meantime, we at the New York City Theatre World Theatre Day Coalition felt the need to widen the conversation and therefore we began this blog. We reached out to theatre artists we admire mostly from here in NYC, but also some from across the country, and others from across the globe.
In the coming 26 days we couldn’t be more thrilled to share their thoughts on the present, their wishes for the future, and their reflections on the past. We are extraordinarily grateful for their time and talent and we encourage you to read and more importantly respond to their posts; hopefully making this blog truly an open conversation on theatre in a our world today.
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