March 20 is ASSITEJ World Children's Theater Day
World Children's Theater Day is an ASSITEJ campaign, which we promote and celebrate with the message "Take a kid to the theater today." With this, we want to encourage national centers, arts organizations, researchers, teachers, artists, professionals, and others interested in making theater for young people to embrace the basic idea of the World Day message and "create situations" in which kids can exercise their right to theater and the arts.
We ask all ASSITEJ members to promote the World Day message and organize events, big or small. Every year, ASSITEJ centers around the world organize conferences, lectures, workshops, and media events in the spirit of #vigyélelegyereketszínházba (take a kid to the theater).
Sue Giles, President of ASSITEJ International Association of Theater for Children and Young People on the occasion of World Children's Theater Day 2025:
Take a kid to the theater today, or bring the theater to them! – after all, live performances are part of everyday life.
A stage performance is a shared experience that connects people through thoughts and emotions – making it a fundamental and necessary part of the development of flexible communities and diverse artistic activities.
The slogan of the World Children's Theater Day campaign, "Take a kid to the theater today," has long focused on kids' and young people's access to cultural rights. In most societies, kids and young people are marginalized because of their age: adults provide them with housing, food, and security, which means that their power, decision-making authority, and choices are limited. This is particularly true in the case of access to culture. If we consider kids and young people to be cultural citizens, then their contribution to culture and their right to access the arts should be self-evident from the moment they are born. We know that in many places it is becoming increasingly difficult for kids and young people to get to the theater or a performance. This is mostly due to a lack of cultural policy, reduced cultural subsidies, the minimization or removal of the arts from education, or the collapse of accepting societies as a result of wars, disasters, or changing government ideologies. This makes our work even more important, and the demand for the opportunities we offer is constantly growing.
We offer shared experiences in which young people who do not know each other come together in a community. Together, they experience works created for and by kids and young people that open their minds and hearts, offer different possibilities for interpretation, and provide space for individual expression and feelings. International ASSITEJ has decided to celebrate World Children's Theater Day as a positive and optimistic call, encouraging decisionmakers to open their doors to kids and young people, ensuring access to theater and performances, and encourages artists to make their work more visible, accessible, and relevant for those who face the greatest barriers to accessing the arts and culture.
It is crucial that we, the ASSITEJ community worldwide, find solutions that make this possible. Every community, company campaign, and initiative can be an inspiration to others, including nationwide or regional projects, fundraising campaigns, awareness-raising programs, surveys on values, public reactions, innovative presentations, and other initiatives. Our toolkit offers methods and opportunities that can help us strengthen our impact. We encourage you to join us on March 20 and raise awareness worldwide about kids and young people, the importance of theater performances and artistic programs created by and for them. (Source: ASSITEJ Hungarian Center)