18 March 2011 – Croatian Minister of Culture Jasen Mesić, MSc, sent his congratulations to all theatres, theatre artists, theatre workers and audiences to mark the occasion of World Day of Theatre for Children and Young People and World Puppet Day.
“It is with particular joy and pleasure that I congratulate all theatres, theatre artists and theatre workers, and your loyal audiences, on the World Day of Theatre for Children and Young People and World Puppet Day.
This celebration, celebrating theatre as a whole, as a universal means and bridge to connect and join different cultures, communicates the exceptionally important education role of theatre for children and young people and puppet theatres in raising many generations of young audiences.
It is a special responsibility to create performances for children and young people, and we must not ignore the fact that the young audience is the strictest audience, due to their honesty and openness to content of all kinds. Croatia’s theatres for children and young people transmit the role of theatre, which is not and must not be only aesthetic and entertaining in nature, but must also examine and shape the current time.
The magic of puppets, through which the universal language of art and the celebration of life are transmitted, has been engrained in the tradition of puppets in Croatia, and the reputation of the Croatian puppet arts abroad is constantly growing.
Guided by the consciousness of leaving the world into the hands of our youngest, it is of exceptional importance to constantly work on the overall accessibility of theatre and puppet arts throughout our country.
Please accept my sincere congratulations and my wishes for the further advancement of theatre and puppet arts intended for children and young people, with the goal of profiling and enriching future theatre audiences, and promoting Croatian culture and arts abroad.”
