Take a child to the theatre TODAY: or bring the theatre to your child – live performance is part of life!

Live performance is a shared experience that brings people together around ideas and emotions; a vital and necessary part of resilient communities and vibrant artistic practice.

The World Theatre Day campaign Take a boy or girl to the theater today has focused for years on ensuring children and young people's access to their cultural rights. Children and young people are marginalised in most societies because of their age: their dependence on adults for shelter, security and food limits their power, control and choice. This is particularly reflected in their access to culture. If we consider children and young people as cultural citizens, their contribution and their right to access the arts become evident from the moment they enter the world.

We know that access to theatre and the performing arts for children and young people is becoming increasingly difficult in many parts of the world: due to a lack of cultural policies, the decrease or elimination of cultural funding, the reduction or exclusion of the arts in educational systems, or the collapse of inclusive societies due to wars, disasters or government ideologies. As a result, our work becomes more important and the need for what we offer increases. What we offer are shared experiences where strangers sit together in community, experiencing works created by children and young people. for, with and by Children and young people, who open minds and hearts, who offer new interpretations and who allow for individual expression and feelings. Theatre and live performance bring every person, regardless of age, into a space that offers stories. Stories about us and our humanity, about our fragility and our strength. And all over the world, people need to be reminded of our humanity.

ASSITEJ International chooses to highlight the World Day of Performing Arts for Children and Youth as a positive and optimistic call for those in power to open their doors wide to children and young people, allowing them access to theatre and live performing arts, and for artists to make their work more visible, accessible and relevant to those who have more barriers to art and culture.

How we find ways to achieve this, as an ASSITEJ community around the world, is something very important to share. Your own campaign and approach are an inspiration to others: from national or regional projects, fundraising campaigns, awareness raising, surveys on the value of theatre, audience responses, innovative presentation models and more. Our toolkit offers resources to amplify your influence, and we encourage you to get involved in the process. March 20, making noise for theatre and the performing arts for, with and by children and young people in the world.