Theatre has always been in my life. One of the first images of "theatre" for me is this photograph from 1962. It is from a high school production in Turkey. The "mother" with the white head-scarf is in fact, my mother. I must have been 7 or 8 when I first saw this photograph. I could almost sense the atmosphere in this picture. It was like magic, stuck in time, waiting to burst any moment. I owe a lot to my mother and her involvement in theatre. She planted a seed in me that grew to make me a professional in theatre and teaching theatre, and I never looked back. And even though I celebrate theatre in everyday of my life, today is a special day for theatre. It is the 50th Anniversary of the World Theatre Day as celebrated by the International Theatre Institute UNESCO.
Each year a figure outstanding in theatre or a person outstanding in heart and spirit from another field, is invited 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. The author this year is John Malkovich. And he says:
"I'm honored to have been asked by the International Theatre Institute ITI at UNESCO to give this greeting commemorating the 50th anniversary of World Theatre Day. I will address my brief remarks to my fellow theatre workers, peers and comrades. May your work be compelling and original. May it be profound, touching, contemplative, and unique. May it help us to reflect on the question of what it means to be human, and may that reflection be blessed with heart, sincerity, candor, and grace. May you overcome adversity, censorship, poverty and nihilism, as many of you will most certainly be obliged to do. May you be blessed with the talent and rigor to teach us about the beating of the human heart in all its complexity, and the humility and curiosity to make it your life's work. And may the best of you - for it will only be the best of you, and even then only in the rarest and briefest moments - succeed in framing that most basic of questions, "how do we live?" Godspeed." - John Malkovich
If you are in theatre or if you are a part of my life, celebrate theatre with me today and spare a moment to think about the power of theatre and what it can do.
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