A European platform of knowledge-sharing and collaborative approaches for Theatre and Mental Health

THEATRUM ANIMI is a cooperation project co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union (Grant Agreement No 101255376). It brings together nine organisations from seven countries (Italy, Serbia, Spain, Ireland, Sweden, Finland and the Czech Republic) to connect theatre and mental health practice across Europe. The project runs for 30 months, from March 2026 to August 2028, and is coordinated by ATER Fondazione (Italy). Across Europe, theatre made with and for people with mental health experiences remains fragmented: practices are isolated, exchange between practitioners is rare, and the sector lacks professional recognition.

THEATRUM ANIMI addresses this gap by building a structured European platform for knowledge sharing, awareness raising and artistic production.

The project runs an awareness raising campaign to reduce the stigma associated with mental health conditions, with local events in all seven countries and a final conference in Bologna. It creates a European Community of Practice with a dedicated digital platform, supported by study visits in Helsinki, Dublin and Forli. Partners deliver local theatre workshops with people with mental health experiences and two international practice exchanges in Belgrade and Stockholm. Finally, the project develops professional theatre productions created with people with lived experience of mental health, presented locally and on an international tour reaching venues and festivals in Italy, Spain, the Czech Republic and Ireland.