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October 1, 2025
As the International Association of Theatre Critics (IATC) approaches its 70th anniversary in 2026, we mark this milestone with both pride and grave concern. Founded in the wake of World War II, at a time when the world longed for healing through dialogue, culture, and mutual understanding, the IATC has steadfastly championed the value of theatre as a humanizing force in times of both peace and crisis.
Today, we stand at a precarious crossroads. Around the globe, authoritarianism is resurgent. Political discord, armed conflict, and the erosion of democratic institutions have created an atmosphere of fear, disinformation, and censorship. The suffering of colleagues and citizens in Ukraine, Georgia, Serbia, and the Middle East, together with the erosion of democratic norms worldwide and the escalating polarization and threats to freedom of expression in the United States, reveals not discrete challenges but a profound global crisis imperiling the foundations of civil society.
In this age of turmoil, theatre—an artform rooted in dialogue, reflection, and community—plays an even more critical role. Yet governments are retreating from their historic commitments to support the performing arts. Budget reductions, the dismantling of cultural ministries, and politicized funding decisions have left countless artists without resources or security. Public funding for the arts, already fragile in many countries, is vanishing just as it is most urgently needed.
These pressures are not only financial but existential. Theater artists and critics increasingly face repression, marginalization, imprisonment, and exile. Cultural workers in conflict zones or countries ruled by repressive regimes face harassment and worse, simply for defending artists’ freedom of expression and the critical spirit specific to theater. The global theatre community must not remain silent in the face of such oppression.
As an organization representing critics in more than 60 countries, the IATC affirms that the freedom to create, critique, and express is fundamental to human dignity and democratic life. We recognize that our role as critics extends beyond the aesthetic; we are also witnesses to our times. We must champion work that interrogates power, provokes empathy, and insists on justice.
We call on governments, cultural institutions, and civil society to renew their commitments to the performing arts—not as luxuries, but as pillars of a free and thoughtful world. We urge them to recognize the essential role of artists and critics in sustaining democratic discourse and resisting authoritarian narratives.
In 2026 and beyond, the IATC pledges to continue amplifying the voices of theatre artists and critics working under duress. We will forge deeper alliances across borders, support freedom of expression, and advocate for equitable and sustained public investment in the arts.
Theatre is not a luxury—it is a lifeline to our shared humanity. Let us act accordingly.
Issued on behalf of the Executive Committee,
| Jeffrey Eric Jenkins President | Natalia Tvaltchrelidze General Secretary |