International Theatre Institute ITI

an international theatrical organization founded in Prague in 1948 under the auspices of UNESCO. The supreme body is the biennial congress, which is attended by representatives of the centers of member countries. The ITI promotes the exchange of knowledge and practice in theater arts among theaters of many countries of the world. As of 1975, it had 54 national centers.

The ITI established March 27 as World Theater Day, putting forth the motto “Theater as a Means of Mutual Understanding and of Strengthening Peace Among Peoples.” The institute is located in Paris. The USSR National Center of the ITI was founded in Moscow in 1959 under the auspices of the All-Russian Theatrical Society. Its chairman is People’s Artist of the USSR M. I. Tsarev.