'La tercera fuga', great winner of the Max awards
'1936', 'No' and 'Faula', among the shows with a Catalan seal that have also been awarded
BarcelonaThe show La tercera fuga, by Victoria Szpunberg, has been one of the big winners of the 29th edition of the Max awards, which were presented this Monday night at the Roman Theatre of Mérida. The production about a family marked by escapes and exile has been awarded for best theatre ensemble, best theatrical authorship —with Victoria Szpunberg and Albert Pijuan at the helm—, and best actor for Ton Vieira. La tercera fugapremiered last April at the Sala Gran of the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya and will return next season. In the category of best theatre show, 1936 won, a production about the impact of the Civil War directed by Andrés Lima, with Catalan participation from Terrat and Albert Boronat in the dramaturgy, along with the Centro Dramático Nacional and Check-in Producciones.
When collecting the award, Szpunberg said that La tercera fuga is a piece with "zero academic" writing but very daring, as it mixes languages, codes, and styles. She also explained that, during the creative process, "it is a work that sometimes got out of hand and was also moving." The playwright and director recalled that her grandfather was from Ukraine, who had "no idea that Catalan existed" and now they have won an award in Mérida for a TNC play whose "fundamental language" is Catalan, even though others are used. Ton Vieira highlighted during his speech that he was part of this show thanks to "an act of generosity" by Szpunberg, and that for him it has been "a history lesson".
Irene Tena, best dance performer
Among the winning productions with a Catalan seal, there is also No, a co-production of various institutions and linked to the Grec Festival and the Manresa Mediterranean Fair, which has won the award for best dance performance and best dance performer for Irene Tena. In this discipline, Faula, by Roser López Espinosa and produced by Mercat de les Flors, has won in the best dance ensemble category. Gota, by Txema Muñoz, has won the award for best street performance. The show will also be seen next season at the TNC.
Regarding the rest of the awards, La maestra, by Anita Maravillas & Portal 71, has been awarded best performance for children, youth or family audiences; and Zorra dorada, by Elisa Forcano and Barbecho Productions, as best revelation performance. Ivan López-Ortega has won the award for best revelation authorship for Taxidermia de una alondra, and Xavo Giménez for best adaptation or version of a theatrical or choreographic work for Yo soy 451. Finally, the award for best musical composition has recognized the work of Raquel Molano, Pablo Peña and Darío del Moral in Fuenteovejuna.
Los nuestros —a co-production of the Centro Dramático Nacional and the TNC— has won the award for best stage direction for the work of Lucía Carballal and for best actress for the role of Mona Martínez. The performances Poeta (perdido) en Nueva York, Blaubeeren,Orlando, and Vuela have completed the list of award winners in other categories. The 29th Max Awards for Performing Arts ceremony was held for the first time in Extremadura. The common thread of the ceremony revolved around greatness and aimed to pay tribute to the importance of performing arts, culture, and thought, through a choral performance that included Greco-Roman theatre, dance, and live music.