ATHENS, March 27 (Xinhua) -- The National Theatre of Greece (NTG) invited Athenians and foreign visitors to celebrate World Theatre Day on Sunday, sending a pro-peace message by staging performances out in the streets of the Greek capital.

       Actors and actresses first performed on Syntagma square in front of the Greek parliament, before entering Rex theatre, home of a few of NTG's stages, for a scheduled performance.

       A few blocks further, NTG's impressive 19th century neoclassical Ziller Building was illuminated for the day and dozens of people were invited to enjoy "Troilus and Cressida" by William Shakespeare with free admission.

       The event, under the theme "With a Look at the World," was supported by the City of Athens.

       Sofia Vienopoulou, head of the Young Peoples' Stage of the NTG, told Xinhua that via this event, the theatre is trying to pay attention to what is happening in the world today.

       "It is very important that artists are now I think participating in a public discourse," she said, while mentioning the recent Russia-Ukraine crisis and calling for peace.

       Following the testing period of the pandemic which isolated people, as she explained, artists are making a strong comeback inviting audiences to find strength in art.