The Happiness Project Set for Roundhouse Studio Theatre in November

THE HAPPINESS PROJECT is a brand new production that explores our understanding of happiness and well-being. It brings together a company of young artists aged 12-19 and six scientists and academics to create a piece of contemporary theatre. The performances will take place at the Roundhouse, 3rd - 14th November 2015, following a run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August.

The project is the culmination of a two year exploration into happiness and well-being and was born out of a response to the 2007 UNICEF report, An overview of child well-being in rich countries which raised concerns over young people's well-being and overall happiness in the UK in comparison with other countries. The result is an intergenerational piece of personal and moving theatre that explores the human condition.

The production has been devised by the young artists and six academics who will also be performing in the show. Through working closely with this group of academics, the production aims to discover a place where scientific research and personal, real life experience meet. The project is directed by Emma Higham and Tashi Gore (Glas(s) Performance), alongside Dramaturge Jess Thorpe (Glas(s) Performance) and Dr Robb Ruttledge (University College London) as an advisor on the project. Glas(s) Performance is the creator of the award-winning Junction 25, the company behind From Where I'm Standing and I Hope My Heart Goes First.

The Happiness Project is part of the Roundhouse's commitment to presenting professional productions created with young people. Previous productions include The Fat Girl Gets a Haircut and Other Stories, The Dark Side of Love and Puffball.

Emma Higham and Tashi Gore, Directors:

"We are all being sold an idea of happiness in many different forms; from the corridors of Whitehall to the pull of the high street; at school, on the bus, in our homes. Every day we navigate a complex set of ideals suggesting the way we should be living. The Happiness Project, hopes to discover a little bit more about ourselves, our relationships with other people and the world around us. We have both

been really inspired by the collaboration and conversations taking place between the young theatre makers and academics."

The academics involved in the project include: Dr Stephanie Lazzaro, Neuroscientist at UCL focusing on memory; Archy De Berker, PHD student in neuroscience at UCL researching impact of stress and anxiety on the brain; Dr Jason Lim, Human Geographer at the University of Brighton; Dawn Rose, PHD psychology student at Goldsmiths, researching music and the mind; Dr Anthony Marcel, retired Psychologist and University of Cambridge Professor with a focus on consciousness and the unconscious state of the mind and Chelsea Gardener, trainee clinical psychologist with a focus on psychosis in children and young people. Clinical psychologist Lucy Gore will evaluate the whole project to explore the benefits the arts can have on young peoples' sense of well-being.

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