World Theatre Day

Established by the International Theatre Institute (ITI) in 1962, World Theatre Day is a global celebration of the power of theatre in bringing people together.

Held in a different country every year, the ITI work with the major theatre association of the host country to stage a festival celebrating the traditional national theatre practices of the host country. This year’s celebrations will be held in Luxembourg from the 25th to the 27th of March, in collaboration with the Theatre Federatioun.

The ITI

As well as moving the celebrations between different countries, the ITI works with a different theatre professional every year to release a short recorded message wherein the professional gives their thoughts on the role theatre can play in society. Past spokespersons have included major figures from the theatre world such as actors Dame Judi Dench and Lawrence Olivier, and playwrights Arthur Miller and Jean Coctaeu.

This year’s message was delivered by renowned actor Willem Dafoe, who many of you might know from his work in the Spider-Man films, or his recent work in films such as Nosferatu and Poor Things.  In this year’s message, Dafoe spoke about his belief in the power of theatre to be more than just a vehicle for entertainment, but believes that it can allow us to interrogate ideas about modern society. As he puts it, he believes in :

“Theatre as a total art form can make us see what was, what is, and what our world could be.”

You can watch Dafoe’s short message for yourself on the official ITI YouTube page.

Edinburgh and Theatre

Edinburgh has a long relationship with the theatre, most famously with the Edinburgh Fringe, the world’s largest performing arts festival. Held across the city every August since the 1940s.
However, live theatre is a year-round activity in Edinburgh, so let’s have a quick look at some of the theatres here in Edinburgh.

The Royal Lyceum Theatre

Let’s start with the Royal Lyceum Theatre on Grindlay Street, the oldest active theatre house in the city. The Lyceum was opened in 1883 and has seen only light refurbishment in the 143 years since, meaning that going inside really does feel like stepping back in time. Indeed, the Lyceum is so old that it’s even rumoured to be haunted by the ghosts of past performers throughout its history.

The Lyceum is perhaps most known for hosting productions of various theatrical dramas, as well as staging some of the first Scottish productions of many renowned operas such as Madam Butterfly. To this day, you can see a huge variety of productions at the Lyceum, from Scottish classics such as The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, new productions such as an adaption of 1984 that will run this autumn, as well as stand-up comedy acts (I’m personally very excited to see Glasgow comedian Christopher Macarthur-Boyd perform his show Howling at the Moon at the Lyceum this November)
Along with this, the Lyceum also host a youth theatre for young people under the age of 25 who are interested in getting involved with the theatre.

Festival Theatre

Another grand old theatre of Edinburgh is the Festival Theatre, famous for hosting large-scale dance and musical theatre acts. Like the Lyceum, the Festival Theatre dates back to the Victorian era, although it’s seen much renovation over the years, especially following a catastrophic fire in 1911, which resulted in several deaths of cast and crew members.  Originally built as an opera and ballet house, the Festival Theatre has changed over time to meet the changing tastes of audiences and the emergence of new forms of popular entertainment. Today, in addition to ballet and opera, you can also see productions of musical theatre, one-person shows, and musical tribute acts.

However, if you’re interested in more off-beat theatre in Edinburgh, you can check out the Bedlam Theatre, a student run theatre based out of an old church in the Old Town. The Bedlam host a variety of shows throughout the year, performed by students at Edinburgh University, with many shows even being original productions put on by the students themselves. The Bedlam can be a great venue if you want to see something unexpected and support student-run art.

Get Involved

If you’re curious about getting involved in live theatre yourself, then student-led theatre companies like the one at the Bedlam can be a great way for you to take your first steps in the theatre world. If you’re a student at Napier, then you should see about joining one of the performing arts societies we have here at the university, such as the Edinburgh Napier Drama Society or the Musical Theatre Society.

As Willem Dafoe talked about in his message this year, theatre can be a great way for us to make sense of the world around us, and it’s never too late to get involved.

By Matthew Ferrie

Read more on The Edinburgh Festival here.