"The theatre of war is, at its core, about weaponry; the theatre of peace is about fragility," Wierzchowski wrote in this year's Polish message for the day.
Marcin Wierzchowski. Photo: Łukasz Gągulski/PAP
"The theatre of peace is always performed for one individual spectator – even with a full house. That is the theatre I wish for us in these dark times," he added.
The global message for World Theatre Day 2026 was written by American actor Willem Dafoe, who – despite being best known for his film roles – began his career in experimental theatre.
Now serving as artistic director of La Biennale di Venezia's Theatre Department, Dafoe warned against theatre becoming either a purely commercial distraction or a dry preserver of tradition.
"Our challenge as theatre makers is to avoid the corruption of theatre solely as a commercial enterprise dedicated to the entertainment by distraction," he wrote, calling instead for theatre "to connect peoples, communities, cultures and above all to question where we are going."
World Theatre Day was established in June 1961 to commemorate the opening of the Theatre of Nations in Paris on March 27, 1957.
It is now marked annually by more than a hundred International Theatre Institute (ITI) centres worldwide.
The ITI was founded in Prague in 1948 by eight countries, including Poland, and operates under the auspices of UNESCO, with its main secretariat based in Paris.
Poland has observed the day since 1973.
The Polish Centre of the ITI selects a Polish author each year to write a national message for the occasion.
(ał/gs)
Source: PAP