ASSITEJ has urged theatre practitioners and adults to take a child to the theatre on March 20, World Theatre Day.
This call aligns with the 2026 WTD theme, ‘Staging the Rights of Children,’ which focuses on making cultural and artistic rights—including access to theatre—available to all children.
In a speech, ASSITEJ President Sue Giles noted that about 29 percent of the world’s population consists of children and young people under 18. Yet, a large number of them are culturally marginalised, with no access to arts and culture. They also have little power, money, or choice, and are dependent on the adults around them making decisions for them.
So how does access to the arts, especially theatre, impact children’s lives?
Giles said arts and culture are avenues through which young minds and spirits are fostered, and discerning adults are developed.
But making arts and culture accessible to children requires the involvement of adults, who are the gatekeepers, some of whom, in most cases, lack the basic knowledge of the importance of the arts to children’s development.
Access to culture and the arts for children not only provides them with an avenue to express themselves but also helps develop imaginative, critical-minded, and empathetic citizens.
By staging a theatrical performance, we not only make theatre inclusive of children but also have access to big ideas and beauty, to wonderful adventures and magical moments.
“By staging the rights of the child to arts and culture, we can send ripples of positivity and optimism to grab the attention of those outside our community, the adults who have children, those who work as educators, those in government, and say, “Take the children and young people to the performing arts or to art made for them, and with and by them in their nurseries, creches, schools and universities, in their local libraries, in festivals, to ensure this vital population has access to performing arts. This is their right,” said Giles.
