‘Falsestuff’ wins at Max gala calling for an end to harassment on stage and filling theatres

The show ‘Falsestuff. The Death of the Muses’, a creation of the National Dramatic Centre (INAEM), has won the award for Best Theatre Show in the 27th edition of the Max Awards for the Performing Arts, whose winners were announced this Monday at a gala held, for the first time, at the Tenerife Auditorium and which focused on the life and work of the acclaimed Canarian poet and playwright Ángel Guimerá.

‘Falsestuff’ did double by also winning the award for best stage design, an award that went to Adrià Pinar, while the play ‘Forever’ by the Basque company Kulunka, which started with four nominations, was finally awarded two: Best stage direction and Best playwriting.

Eduard Fernández won the award for best actor for ‘All the Love Songs’, dedicating the award to his mother, who suffered from Alzheimer’s, while Natalia Huarte won the Max for best actress for ‘Psycho 4.48’, highlighting the importance of this work on depression as it is able to “shed light on the dark”.

The president of the SGAE, Antonio Onetti, accompanied on the piano by Juan José Solana, president of the SGAE Foundation, highlighted the 125 years that the General Society of Authors has been in existence, during which it has been able to survive two dictatorships, a civil war – and “ourselves,” said Solana – and during which it has also been able to reach the figure of more than 130,000 members.

Antonio Onetti also asked that “never again, in any theatre or company, there be a case of sexual harassment or assault” and that rehearsal rooms and stages “be safe places for everyone.”

He also stressed that the stage “is a unique place to tell stories, express ideas and truths,” but made it clear that all this would be meaningless without the audience. Therefore, to celebrate these 125 years of works, performances and creation, and on behalf of the SGAE, he wanted to thank the spectators, “all those who come to the big theatres, to the alternative venues or those places where a company raises the curtain.” “You are our apples, our Max. Keep going to the theatre because without the audience we are nothing.”

One of the most emotional moments of the gala was the presentation of the Max Honorary Award to actress Nuria Espert for her long and prolific theatrical career, receiving warm applause from the audience for several minutes. The veteran actress thanked “the generosity, passion and beauty” of those present, and highlighted how she had witnessed the “extraordinary” transformations that the theatre has undergone to become what it is today, pursuing “the same purity and strength” that she has defended throughout her career.

During the gala, directed by the Tenerife playwright José Padilla, two other special awards were also given: the Max Amateur or Social Award, which recognised the work of the amateur company LaTrup Asociación Teatral Universitaria Troysteatro de La Laguna (Tenerife), and the Max Public Applause, for the play ‘Señora de rojo sobre fondo gris’ by Pentación Espectáculos and Sabre Producciones.

Among other personalities, the gala was attended by the Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun; the Minister of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, Ángel Víctor Torres; the President of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo; the President of the Cabildo of Tenerife, Rosa Dávila; the Mayor of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, José Manuel Bermúdez; among other authorities and personalities from the world of Performing Arts.

AWARD WINNERS

The gala began by presenting the Max Award for best new show to ‘Electra’, by Pílades Teatro, also awarded as best adaptation or version of a theatrical or choreographic work, while Jorge Usón Colomer was awarded as best new author for ‘La tuerta’. Meanwhile, ‘Estación Paraíso’, by La Maquiné, received the Max Award for best show for children, youth or family audiences.

In the dance category, Christine Cloux was awarded the Max Prize for best female performer for ‘Corps seul’, thanking the audience for having valued “the work of a lifetime dedicated to dance” and, in particular, for giving visibility to dancers over 50 years of age. Ángel Durán won the Max Prize for best male performer for ‘Cowards’, and ‘Mont Ventoux’, by Kor’sia, won the Max Prize for best dance show, also winning the Prize for best choreography.

In the technical sections, the Max Award for best lighting design went to Felipe Ramos and Sharon Fridman for ‘Europa’; Silvia Delagneau won the Award for best costume design for ‘Alexina B.’, a work that also won a second Max Award for best musical composition for a stage show.

Lastly, ‘Ladies Football Club’, by Barco Pirata and Teatros del Canal – Comunidad de Madrid, was awarded the prize for best musical or lyrical show; the Teatro Clásico de Sevilla won the Max Prize for best production work, and ‘Ciutat dormitori’, by Contenidos Superfluos, was awarded the prize for best street show.

522 shows were entered into the Max Awards, of which 44 competed in the final phase. After the first selection phase, designated by five territorial juries – two for Madrid, one for Catalonia and two for each community – a panel made up of the five presidents of the territorial juries, five personalities from the Performing Arts and a member of the Organising Committee were in charge of deciding the finalists in the 20 categories that competed in the XXVII Max Awards.