Each year, an outstanding figure from the theatre community is invited to share his or her reflections on theatre and international harmony to mark March 27th as World Theatre Day. Micheline Chevrier was chosen as Canada's 2013 message author and the University of Alberta was honoured to have her among us on World Theatre Day, as our Distinguished Visiting Artist and guest director of Saint Joan at U of A Studio Theatre.
The Department of Drama invited the public on campus to hear Micheline Chevrier deliver her World Theatre Day message publicly at 12 noon on March 27th in the Timms Centre for the Arts lobby. A large crowd of energetic students, faculty, staff and theatre patrons packed the room to take in Chevrier's inspiring address which focused on the power of theatre as a storytelling medium.
To further celebrate, U of A Studio Theatre audiences were invited to attend a $5 preview performance of Saint Joan at the Timms Centre on March 27th at 7:30 pm and encouraged to tweet about the show before, during intermission and after the show with the hashtag #st_joan. Tweets were broadcast live on a monitor in the lobby throughout the evening.
UAlberta alumna and Theatre Alberta Board President, Michele Fleiger ('12 MFA, '81 BFA) also shared a stirring reflection piece online about why the world needs more people to practice theatre.