A Manual on Work and Happiness is a two-year project funded by Creative Europe (2017-2018).

A Manual on Work and Happiness is a project created by the collaboration between six organizations: Artemrede and the municipalities of Alcobaça and Montijo (Portugal), Pergine Spettacolo Aperto and L’arboreto – Teatro Dimora di Mondaino (Italy) and the Municipal Theatre of Patras (Grecia). As artistic partners, the project includes the Portuguese experimental theater company mala voadora and the Spanish writer and playwright Pablo Gisbert.

With a duration of two years, the project deals with the particularly current theme of the relationship between work and happiness. The in-depth study began in July 2017 at an international seminar organized in Pergine Valsugana, on the occasion of the 42nd Festival of Pergine Spettacolo Aperto. Inspired by the reflections that emerged during the Seminar, the Portuguese company Malavoadora, together with the Catalan author Pablo Gisbert, produced the text for a new production, in a writing residence in Mondaino. The text is a real “instruction manual” (from which the title of the project), similar to those of furniture assembly, in order to make it easily usable to other artists and cultural operators. The manual will be finalized and published during 2018 and will be freely downloadable from the platform dedicated to the project.

During 2018, Mala Voadora will work for a month of creative residency with the local communities of the cities of Patras (Greece), Alcobaça and Montijo (Portugal) and Pergine Valsugana (Italy), to create performances.

A fundamental element of the project is the establishment of a Southern Coalition, a coalition between European countries in the Mediterranean area, with the aim of strengthening the potential for responding to the current socio-economic situation. Starting from the partner countries of the project, the coalition will be open to all the countries of the Mediterranea basin.

The information concerning the various phases of the project will gradually become available on the online platform;  a transversal tool which will document the creative and design progress as well as it will allow direct and immediate participation of the audience.