Happy World Theatre Day

27 mar 2017

Í dag, 27. marts, er altjóða sjónleikaradagur. Í hesum sambandi hevur Noomi Reinert, forkvinna í MáF, skrivað eina heilsan. Hon er til okkum øll, eisini samstarvsfelagar okkara í IATA/AITA og NEATA, og er tí á enskum:

I would like to start by pinpointing a very important fact that often is mistaken in today’s world. It is the meaning of the word amateur. The word is French, origins from the Latinamator which means lover and amare which means to love. It is far from the way the word is often wrongfully used as undermining the quality of something being made by amateurs.

Theatre is a living art form, living only when kept alive. It requires its stage, actors and spectators. With this ensemble, the stories are brought to life and transform the spectators within its presence. The theatre gives you the story in actual size unlike the small computer screen or the big screen at the cinema. If the theatrical experience was to be taken away, the population would be robbed of a channel for stories, telling’s and experiences that hit the heart and soul like nothing else. What other art form works itself as deeply into the consciousness of the spectator? But why fuss over such speculations? It seems as if theatre always arises when facing hard times. Most of us have heard or read phrases comparing theatre with the phoenix rising from the ashes, and rightly so, since the theatre has shown itself as being awfully strong. It has truly faced many enemies. The whole world held its breath when technology won its place on our big stage and captivated the theatre audiences. Furthermore, the theatre has survived poverty and has dealt with and overcome times of ignorance. Theatre has beaten censorships and is continuously fighting for it. It seems that, at all times, there is some part of the world that has the flame of theatre burning steadily.

Worldwide, theatre has an enormous impact on the globalisation. In the world of theatre, all understand each other wherever situated. And working with amateur theatre, we all poses a heart that speaks the same language. We understand what it takes to create the stories, and we know how to give rise to the productions. We share the ups and downs, and today, on World Theatre day, we can enjoy the day dedicated to celebrate this particular life. Life of theatre.

Isabelle Hupper had a funny observation which reminds me of how we travel with theatre. She compared her travelling to the title of Jean Cocteau’s book: “Around the world again in 80 days” and realised, she had gone around the world differently. Instead, she did it in 80 shows or 80 movies.

I like this image. And thinking of all the characters that we have seen, been with or portrayed, being from all the different spaces and years and embodied different stories, I would like to once again show gratitude for all the wonderful kind-hearted souls that are working for the amateur theatre, and to remind each of us, that we are here for the same purpose, and should use each other in whatever way possible. May we still celebrate this day long in the future.

HAPPY WORLD THEATRE DAY!

Noomi Reinert

Committee Chairman of MáF