Since 1962, World Theatre Day has been celebrated by the circulation of the World Theatre Day Message through which, at the invitation of the International Theatre Institute (ITI), a figure of world stature shares their reflections on the theme of Theatre and a Culture of Peace. The first World Theatre Day international message was written by Jean Cocteau in 1962. In the Global Theater Initiative's (GTI) role as the U.S. center of ITI, a U.S.-based author is chosen to circulate a national message for World Theatre Day in addition to the international message. Past World Theatre Day messages from both international and U.S. honorees can be read below.