Happiness is a Malthouse Theatre Education commission designed to empower Year 9 and 10 students, as young adults, to make collective decisions about issues surrounding climate change. Props and stimuli are delivered to each participating school in a battered suitcase. Like the best theatre, Happiness does not point to a single position but prompts a series of questions, propositions and provocations for both the theatre-makers and the theatre audience.

Happiness was conceived by Malthouse Theatre's Education Program Manager Fiona James and created by Malthouse Theatre artists to prompt a conversation between young people and professional theatremaking. This dialogue is inspired by Malthouse Theatre's industry-leading policy on sustainable practice, Malthouse Greenlight, which encourages practises that minimise the company's carbon footprint.

The project is already underway, with students developing ideas around the ability to maintain hope and optimism in the context of climate change. This process has been accompanied by a project-specific blog developed to link individuals and schools with each other in a collective conversation.

Running parallel to students' creative responses to the topic, Malthouse Theatre has produced its own theatrical response to the stimuli – a script of five playlets written by Maryanne Lynch. This work is currently being developed into a professional performance, directed by Melbourne-based independent theatremaker Kate Sulan (Rawcus, Back to Back Theatre). The students will perform their own renderings of these playlets, and witness both other students' versions, and a fully professional Malthouse Theatre version.

"Happiness combines best teaching and learning practice with best theatre practice and aims to actively engage students – turning the lights on to both their processes and ours," said Fiona James.

"Happiness is an opportunity for unfettered creative responses to climate change. There is nothing preachy or didactic here. Instead, this project offers students a collaborative act in which they can engage with climate change in a meaningful and creative way."

Happiness is the only project of its kind in Victoria offering this level of engagement for students to make theatre in line with the curriculum, and in partnership with a professional theatre company.

The performance dates available are Monday, October 25 - Friday, November 5, 2010 (excluding Melbourne Cup Weekend, November 1-2). Times are 9am - 4pm at the Tower Theatre (CUB Malthouse). The cost is $25 per student and includes a stimulus pack, script and a full day of performances.

To register, or for more information on Happiness, please email the Education Program Manager or call (03) 9685 5165.