'Optimism' marks World Theatre Day

Playwright Kampanellis: 'Theatre will never cease to exist.'

Tuesday 27 March is World Theatre Day, the thirtieth since the day was inaugurated at the Paris Theatre Of Nations season in 1962.

World Theatre Day, which was conceived at the World Congress of the International Theatre Institute in Vienna in 1961, is marked by an international message from a world playwright and performances, lectures and symposia around the world.

People have been asking 'Is theatre dead?' since the 1960s

Graham Morris, chair Arts Council drama panel

On Tuesday Greek playwright Iakovos Kampanellis spoke of his hopes for the future of theatre:

"Every person has an innate need and ability to create performances.

"Theatre will never cease to exist, because I believe that men and women will never stop living without the agony of self-knowledge, without the existential need to become spectators of their selves and their actions," he said.

The International Theatre Institute says that World Theatre Day sees theatre festivals and special performances all over the world.

Funding

Although there are no co-ordinated events in the UK, the chair of the Arts Council of England's drama panel, Graham Morris, said that World Theatre Day found British theatre in an optimistic mood:

"World Theatre Day this year comes in the wake of new funding for theatres for the first time in a generation - this is a major boost, though it doesn't come on line until 2003-04.

"Many theatres have been cutting back for 15 or 20 years - now for the first time since I came into the industry there's a spirit of optimism."

Re-invention

Shakespeare: still selling out in Sheffield

Mr Morris, who is also chief executive of Sheffield Theatre, scotched the idea that live theatre was dying.

"People have been asking 'Is theatre dead?' since the 1960s - and probably for 300 years before that - but theatre goes on re-inventing itself.

"At my theatre today, we're having the 18th performance of Shakespeare's Edward II - which has been sold out since it started," he added.