Algorithm: Happiness — a new performance by Studio Kokyu at OPT Zamek

Right after the premiere, the new show will be on the stage of the theatre hall of the Castle in Leśnica. Studio Kokyu, operating at the Grotowski Institute in Wrocław, will present its latest theatrical project “Algorithm: Happiness”.

Can happiness be programmed?

Is there a pattern that allows man to achieve fulfillment? Or does every attempt to find it take us away from what we are really looking for? The play is inspired by the reflections of Aldous Huxley contained in the novel “The New Wonderful World” and the essay “The New Wonderful World. 30 Years Later”. The starting point is the question of how human desires, needs and ideas about happiness are shaped today.

We live in a world that constantly tells us what we should desire, how to look and how to live. In the age of social media and artificial intelligence, the question of freedom of choice is more relevant than ever. Creators, however, are primarily interested not in technology, but in man: how he experiences the world, builds relationships, experiences freedom, loneliness, closeness and loss, and gives meaning to his own life.

The material for the performance was created based on acting work, improvisations, literary texts and answers collected in a survey about happiness, freedom, love, loneliness and the meaning of life. The survey was distributed in five languages: English, Spanish, Italian, Belarusian and Polish. The performance combines philosophical reflection, personal experiences of performers and inspirations from nature, literature and contemporary culture.

“Algorithm: Happiness” does not give an unequivocal answer. It is an invitation to experience questions together.