World days, 27 Mar 2027
World Theatre Day
A day for theatre on 27 March, and for the stage make-up traditions of Kabuki, Peking opera and Kathakali.
World Theatre Day was started in 1961 by the International Theatre Institute and is held on 27 March, with a message from a theatre artist read around the world. Many of the world's theatre traditions are traditions of the face. In Japanese Kabuki, kumadori lines of red and blue over a white base show heroes and villains. In Chinese opera, painted-face roles use colour to show character, and Sichuan opera actors change masks in an instant. In Kerala's Kathakali, green faces framed by a white paper ridge mark noble heroes. The day is a chance to see these crafts on stage.
Guides tied to World Theatre Day
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Kumadori: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Bian lian: Yongxinge, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Jing: G41rn8, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
