The International Theatre Institute (ITI), a UNESCO-affiliated NGO, originated the idea of World Theatre Day in 1961, when its Finnish president Arvi Kivimaa proposed dedicating a global day to theatre during the ITI's 9th World Congress in Vienna, and the proposal was widely embraced. March 27 was chosen to mark the anniversary of the opening of the "Theatre of Nations" season in Paris in 1962, when the first International Theatre Day message was delivered by French writer Jean Cocteau that same year. The day celebrates theatre as one of humanity's oldest art forms and one of the most capable of bringing peoples and cultures together through dialogue, performance, and storytelling. Each year, the ITI traditionally selects a prominent theatre figure to write the "International Theatre Day Message," translated into dozens of languages and read in theatres worldwide. ITI national centers in more than a hundred countries organize free performances, training workshops, and discussions on the role of theatre in contemporary society.