Pergine Spettacolo Aperto spreads its wings

On October 25th the EU funded project “A manual on work and Happiness” will kick-off with the first meeting at Alcobaça (Portugal). For two years the Portuguese Artemrede Teatros Associado will lead the three other partners: Pergine Spettacolo Aperto , Centro di residenze artistiche L’Arboreto and Patras Regional Public Theatre in Greece. The Portuguese company Mala Voadora and the Spanish playwright Pablo Gisbert will lead the artistic direction of the project.
The Project Manager for Pergine, Carla Esperanza Tommasini, explains how this project will innovate the concept of theatre creating a “manual” asa script for a play on how to be happy at work or through work. The local communities will be involved too and the intent is to build a Southern Coalition, a network between countries that share the same challenges and difficulties: social disintegration, unemployment, recession. The first three countries to be part of it will be Italy, Portugal and Greece, but then the network will extend to include other countries of Southern Europe.
The first public event of the project will take place in July at Pergine. An international seminar on work and happiness will be organised as part of 2017 festival. It will be a multidisciplinary event, involving researchers, artists and cultural operators as well as the local community.

Pergine Spettacolo Aperto will also take part at the World Culture Summit from October 16th to 21st in Malta through the Global Cultural Leadership Programme. This will be an international training opportunity to enhance the mission of the festival to be more inclusive, internationally renowned and artistically relevant. On the same line the festival was also awarded with the EFFE label (Europe for Festivals, Festivals for Europe) in 2015 and it is planning to apply again in 2017.