The challenge to artists and to arts activists is to ensure that all adults with the power to #Takeachildtothetheatretoday understand their responsibility to the child who might never encounter live theatre without their intervention and work as hard for all children to be theatrically literate as they do for them to be able to read and write. (from the 2017 World Day Message by Yvette Hardie)
On 20 March 2017, we celebrate World Day of Theatre for Children and Young People. The ASSITEJ World Day campaign enables national centres, individual members, companies, arts organisations, academics, teachers, artists, practitioners and others interested in theatre for young audiences to connect with the idea of World Day and ‘make the case’ for children’s entitlement to theatre and the arts. Individuals from across the world are invited to promote the World Day messages and consider additional activity – large or small. Each year ASSITEJ Centres around the globe deliver activities ranging from conferences, performances, workshops and special media events, connected to #takeachildtothetheatre.
We encourage all our Belgian members to make a connection with the World Day in your activities during the weekend of 18 / 19 March, and to use the logos (they can be found here).
On the occasion of this day, two messages were launched: one of Francisco Hinojosa, one of Mexico’s leading authors of children’s literature, and one of Yvette Hardie, president of ASSITEJ international. The messages can be read here.
Image: (c) Magnet Theatre