Global Theater Initiative

Celebrating 10 Years of Global Theater Initiative (ITI-U.S.)

Since 2016, The Lab and Theatre Communications Group (TCG) have shared leadership of ITI-U.S. as part of the Global Theater Initiative. Dedicated to humanizing world affairs through theatre, the Global Theatre Initiative (GTI) fosters interconnectedness among theatre makers worldwide in pursuit of a just and thriving global theatre ecology. By combining the unique reach of TCG’s international programming with The Lab’s distinctive experience in humanizing global politics through the power of performance, GTI honors and intersects with the work many theatre colleagues have invested in cross-cultural exchange and understanding.

International Theatre Institute (ITI), an international non-governmental organization (NGO), was founded in Prague in 1948 by UNESCO and the international theatre community. Today, the mission of ITI is to promote the international exchange of knowledge and practice in theatre arts in order to consolidate peace and friendship between peoples, to deepen mutual understanding and increase creative co-operation between all people in the theatre arts.

Our work is an engine to support and amplify global exchange with three core areas of focus:

1. Connecting practitioners with resources, knowledge, and partnerships to strengthen their work.

2. Promoting cultural collaboration as essential for international peace and mutual understanding.

3. Innovating new strategies to maximize the global theatre field’s opportunities and impact.

GTI also serves as the collaborative leadership of the U.S. Center of the International Theatre Institute (ITI/U.S.). GTI believes in the power of theatre to create a stronger experience of global citizenship and safer, healthier communities around the world.

Derek Goldman co-founded ITI's Network for Higher Education in the Performing Arts and curated Student Festivals (live and virtual) at World Congress events, beginning in 2017, a major student Festival in Segovia.

ABOUT WORLD THEATRE DAY
World Theatre Day was created in 1961 by the International Theatre Institute (ITI), and is celebrated annually on March 27 by global ITI centers and the international theatre community.

Various national and international theatre events are organized to celebrate an international message and remarks from national cultural leaders.

World Theater Day 2026 Messages

International Message by Willem Dafoe

U.S. Message by Moisés Kaufman

U.S. Emergent Artist Message by Banna Desta

The Global Theatre Institute hosts and supports many global gatherings, festivals, conferences, conversations, collaborations, and experiences in solidarity with global communities working towards peace and equity. Our work seeks to connect people.

Over the past decade, the Global Theatre Initiative has participated in produced and hosting dozens of global theatre convenings, gatherings, and public performance events and symposia. Select highlights include:

2016 Global Theatre Pre-Conference

AMERICAN THEATRE · 2022

Finding Home: Migration, Exile, and Belonging, a day-long event convened and hosted by The Lab at Georgetown University, with more than 200 performers, theatre practitioners, policy makers, and students from more than 25 different countries. The convening culminated in a historic event, Prevented Performances, curated by Derek Goldman, which brought together 7 remarkable performances that had been censored or prevented in varied contexts around the world (Palestine, Russia, Zimbabwe etc.)

Watch highlights and explore the Global Conversations from the 2016 Pre-Conference

2017 World Theatre Day

Dreams Deferred: Crossing Continents and Cultures with A Raisin in the Sun was produced by The Lab and the Global Theater Initiative in partnership with the Swedish Embassy, and in association with the South African Embassy, Riksteatern, and the International Theatre Institute. 2017 World Theatre Day

Leading artists from 3 very different and acclaimed productions of Lorraine Hansberry’s classic play A Raisin in the Sun – Arena Stage, the Market Theatre in Johannesburg, South Africa, and the National Black Theater of Sweden – gathered for this remarkable event in a packed Gaston Hall at Georgetown.
The event explored the resonance of this classic play in three different cultural contexts—South Africa, Sweden, and the United States. It included scenes from A Raisin in the Sun and other pieces artistically inspired b Hansberry’s play – including performed scenes from Raisin that brought together performers from all 3 productions who had collaborated in a global workshop convened by The Lab and the Embassy of Sweden.
The evening featured a World Theater Day address by Kwame Kwei-Armah, as well as contributions from James Ngcobo, Artistic Director, Market Theatre (Johannesburg); Josette Bushell-Mingo, OBE, Artistic Director, Riksteatern (Stockholm); leading Hansberry scholar Professor Soyica Colbert; Ambassador Mninwa Mahlangu (South Africa); and Linda Zachrison, Cultural Counselor, Embassy of Sweden.

Read the Featured HowlRound Reflection

Read American Theatre Feature

2017 TCG Global Pre-Conference

Beyond the Four Walls, a day-long GTI convening in Portland, Oregon, culminating in a performance of Teatro Línea de Sombra’s celebrated production Amarillo, which tells the story of a man who departs for the US-Mexican border and vanishes before reaching his destination

CrossCurrents Festival & The Gathering 2019

Washington, DC

The Lab launched its inaugural CrossCurrents Festival and The Gathering, welcoming over 400 artists from 40 countries, including Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka, with programming presented at the Kennedy Center and leading DC theaters.

The Gathering 2022

Georgetown University · Washington, DC

A four-day festival produced by The Lab featuring performances, workshops, and panel discussions led by Global Lab Fellows and internationally recognized artists. Programming centered on indigeneity, climate, and racial and social justice.

The Gathering 2024

Lab Studio · Washington, DC

This multi-day gathering of a community of up to 50 artists and changemakers working locally, nationally, and globally. The programming focused on vibrant discussions, pop-up presentations, forums, and workshops with a special evening of celebration of our partnership with the Embassy of Sweden, highlighting We Hear You – A Climate Archive.

The Gathering 2026

Stary National Theatre · Krakow, Poland

Convened by Georgetown University’s Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics and the Center for International Theatre Development (CITD), in collaboration with Kraków’s legendary Stary Theater, this convening was built on decades of shared work in international exchange and innovative global gatherings. Forty artists from Poland, the United States, Hungary, Serbia, South Africa, Lebanon, Venezuela, Mexico, Russia, Zimbabwe, and beyond shared their work and practices through workshops, artist-led exchanges, and conversations.

The Americas Meeting

Virtual · February 2022
A Zoom convening designed to facilitate dialogue and collaboration among ITI centers across North, Central, and South America.

Global Roundtables

TCG Virtual Conference · 2020–2021
International roundtable conversations presented at the TCG Virtual Conferences, including Re: Emergence (2020) and Our Theatre Ecology (2021), focused on the future of global theatre and cultural exchange.

Long Table: Proud Performing Arts

New York, NY · January 2020
A collaborative working session with ITI-Sweden exploring Proud Performing Arts, international dialogue, and inclusive creative practice.

Global Theatre Initiative & Cultural Exchange Sessions

TCG National Conferences · St. Louis, MO & Miami, FL · 2018–2019
Conference sessions examining international producing, ethics, cultural exchange, and artistic collaboration in politically and socially polarized contexts.

A World Theatre Map

TCG National Conference · Portland, OR · 2017
A session focused on building global theatre networks and fostering international artistic community through collaboration and exchange.

Global Citizenship through Theatre

TCG National Conference · Portland, OR · 2017
A discussion on international artistic engagement and opportunities for global learning through theatre, including Fulbright-supported exchange experiences.

ITI-U.S. also has a strong history of artistic programming, including:

Here I Am — an original multimedia production developed at The Lab by Mélisande Short-Colomb, a descendant of the GU272, the enslaved people sold by Georgetown University and the Maryland Jesuits in 1838. Supported by two National Endowment for the Arts grants, the work invites audiences to confront histories of racial injustice and imagine paths toward equity in America.
Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski — an original play about Georgetown professor and Holocaust witness Jan Karski, starring Academy Award nominee David Strathairn and written by Derek Goldman and Clark Young. Following acclaimed runs in Washington, DC and Chicago, the production appeared Off-Broadway at Theatre for A New Audience and toured nationally and internationally. The project also inspired the award-winning feature film Remember This and the Georgetown course Bearing Witness: The Legacy of Jan Karski Today.
I Pledge Allegiance — an original devised piece by a diverse group of Georgetown students and recent alumni — including Velani Dibba, Cristina Ibarra, Ben Lillian, Aly Panjwani, and Devika Ranjan — under the advisorship of Derek Goldman. Presented by The Lab at the 2017 International Theatre Institute (ITI) World Congress and UNESCO International Theatre Festival in Segovia, Spain, as part of the Global Theater Initiative in partnership with Theatre Communications Group (TCG). Through the ITI/UNESCO Network for Higher Education in the Performing Arts, the production explored shifting notions of home, identity, and nation through the personal stories of immigrant and first-generation students.

ITI-U.S. has a robust history of regularly facilitating delegations of U.S. theatre practitioners to travel to other countries, as well as global exchanges and visits. These travels played an integral role in strengthening theatre’s power and relevance as a universal art form and enhancing ITI-U.S.’s ability to unite theatre workers globally. Travels included:

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil · 2023
Participation in NEAP Fest, engaging with international artists and practitioners in a global exchange of contemporary performance practices.

Santiago, Chile · 2017 & 2023
Engagement with Santiago a Mil International Theater Festival across multiple years, fostering dialogue with global theatre makers and showcasing international collaboration in contemporary performance.

Germany · Spain · Italy · 2017–2022
Includes ITI-Germany visit (2022), The WellBeing Summit in Bilbao (2022), Global Lab Fellows residency at La MaMa Umbria (Italy, 2022), and ITI World Congress in Segovia (2017), highlighting cross-cultural exchange and leadership in global theatre networks.

Cuba · Chile · 2017–2018
Includes Leadership (U)niversity grantees meeting with theatre leaders and artists in Cuba (2018) and participation in Santiago a Mil International Theater Festival (2017), focused on artistic leadership, collaboration, and cultural diplomacy.

Publishing Highlights

TCG Books & International Publishing

TCG Books publishes new plays and emerging playwrights, representing over 1,600 titles. It partners with UK-based Drama Online and serves as the exclusive U.S. distributor for Playwrights Canada Press and Nick Hern Books. Internationally represented playwrights during this period include Enda Walsh, Jez Butterworth, Lucy Kirkwood, Caryl Churchill, Conor McPherson, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Peter Brook.

American Theatre Magazine

TCG Publication · Print & Digital

TCG’s American Theatre magazine features a recurring Global Spotlight column highlighting international theatre practices and perspectives.

Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski

Play by Derek Goldman & Clark Young

An original play about Georgetown professor and Holocaust witness Jan Karski. A special script edition published by Georgetown University Press includes contributions from Madeleine Albright, Samantha Power, Timothy Snyder, Stuart Eizenstat, and others, expanding the work’s historical and civic dialogue.