The gala will be held on 1 July at 7 p.m. in the Auditorio de Tenerife.

 

The presentation of the 27th Max Awards for Performing Arts - Tenerife took place earlier today (Thursday 27) at the Auditorio de Tenerife Adán Martín in a press conference given by the regional Minister of Culture and Museums of the Tenerife Island Council, José Carlos Acha and SGAE Foundation Institutional Director of Performing Arts Ana Graciani, along with the art director of the event, Jose Padilla. The ceremony is to be held on 1 July at 7 p.m. (local time in the Canary Islands) with the theme of the ideas and dreams deriving from the creative process and all their artistic possibilities.

In his opening statements, the regional minister of Culture said, 'The fact that this year's ceremony will be held in Tenerife is a fortunate turn of events and an opportunity'. He said, 'The Tenerife government is honoured that our island has been chosen for the ceremony, which supports and acknowledges Canarian performing arts and dance. It is also an honour for us that the event will be directed by the Tenerife-born José Padilla and is dedicated to the Tenerife native Ángel Guimerá', adding that 'the event will strengthen our position in the sector in Spain'.

Ana Graciani gave thanks to 'this wonderful auditorium, the dedication and professionalism of its technical staff and their evident love of the performing arts'. She explained, 'The awards ceremony is held at different locations every year for several reasons: we love to travel, and we take a bidirectional approach to these events, but it's also because it puts this celebration of performing arts closer to Spanish territory and is a way of keeping the inhabitants of each location informed of the current state of these disciplines, as well as showcasing their customs and characteristics'.

The playwright and Tenerife native Jose Padilla designed the ceremony based on this year's theme, La escena, travesías de ilusión (The Stage: Journeys of Expectation), which rather quickly became a tribute to fellow playwright Ángel Guimerá. He added, 'All of this deeply moves me, and I'm very grateful to those who have given me their support'. He explained that 'while researching the life of Ángel Guimerá—this year is the centenary of his death, by the way—, I realised that there are many ways to be a Tenerife native; identity is a diverse thing, and so is art'.

During the two-hour event, the activities will explore the theme of 'journeys of expectation' about the creative process in general and the performing arts in particular. The crew making this journey possible include the playwright, the stage director and a team of professionals with roots in the Canary Islands, such as choreographer Paula Quintana; wardrobe director Yaiza Pinillos; characterisation expert Rayco; stage designer Príamo Estudio (by Eduardo Moreno and Pau Fullana) and renowned composer Jose Pablo Polo in charge of the music and sound at the ceremony.

Organised by the Spanish Society of Authors. Composers and Publishers (SGAE) through its foundation, this 27th Max Awards for Performing Arts - Tenerife is sponsored by Auditorio de Tenerife through the Tenerife Island Council and AENA, in collaboration with Spain's Ministry of Culture and Sports, through the National Institute of Performing Arts and Music (INAEM), and with the support of Grupo Eulen,  Mahou, Fonteide, Vinos de Tenerife and Tenerife Rural. The ceremony will be broadcast pre-recorded by state-owned media company RTVE on channel 2, TVE International and RTVE Play, starting at 9 p.m. (local time in the Canary Islands).

 

Ángel Guimerá: a universal Canarian
Our guide on this journey of expectation will be the figure and oeuvre of the Canarian creator and playwright Ángel Guimerá, who died 100 years ago in July. Some of his poems, desires, fears and dreams will take form on the Auditorio de Tenerife stage in a carefully crafted exercise of synthesis of which Jose Padilla is proud.

The performers, all born in the Canary Islands, will rise to the challenge of speaking in Catalan to represent Guimerá (Kevin de la Rosa) and his context: Carmen Cabeza (as María Guerrero and Guimerá's mother), Christian Cánovas and Almudena Puyo. Putting the finishing touch on the ambiance, the dancers Ico Botanz, Alicia Hernández Butragueño and Daniel Morales, all rooted in Tenerife, will be led by Quintana.

The evening's journey will highlight the cultural traditions of the archipelago, its seven islands, local cuisine and customs, in addition to the magic of Mount Teide, and will acknowledge the linguistic diversity of Spain, which may be summed up in the words of Ángel Guimerá:' Those languages of ours'. No wonder this universal Canarian is the acknowledged father of the Catalan Renaissance and a prolific writer who embraced the Catalan language to make it his own. A two-time Nobel Prize nominee whose plays have been translated into more than a dozen languages, his works include Terra Baixa (Martha of the Lowlands) (the latest adaptation of which has been shortlisted for this year's Max - Tenerife Awards) and Las islas Fortunadas (The Fortunate Isles). These texts have been interpreted in theatres around the world.

Along with Guimerá, the ceremony will also honour the pioneering thespians of our theatre Margarita Xirgú and María Guerrero. An odyssey from one end of the country to the other for spectators; for those who choose to surrender to the pleasure of giving their imagination free reign. Because the journey doesn't end at the destination.

 

Blanca Paloma and St. Pedro: stellar performances
The serenity of Blanca Paloma and the updated boleros of St. Pedro, two eminently Latin and Canarian artists, will provide musical entertainment at the 27th Max - Tenerife Awards. A quartet of regional saxophonists (Norberto Arteaga, Diego Jiménez, Marcos Pérez and Elena Seoane) will accompany these artists and Jose Pablo Polo in their live performances.

Lastly, two dozen relevant figures in performing arts will give the winners their awards: Pedro Guerra, Chanel, Toni Acosta, Daniel Abreu, Jesús Carmona, Salva Reina, Natalia Álvarez Simó, Marta Fuenar, Juanjo Llorens, Marta González Vega, Paco Déniz, Roberto Torres, Natalia Menéndez, Fernando Navas, Carmelo Alcántara, Soraya González del Rosario, Severiano García, Mónica López, Carlota Gaviño, Aranza Coello, Irma Correa and Toni Tabares.

 

‘Señora de rojo sobre fondo gris’ (Lady in Red on Grey Background): Public Applause Max Award
In addition, Ana Graciani announced the winner of the 2024 Public Applause Max Award, a special honour to be given for a second consecutive year in recognition of productions that have met with such success that popular demand has extended their runs over several seasons. The Max Awards committee have chosen Señora de rojo sobre fondo gris (Lady in Red on Grey Background), a production by Sabre Producciones, Pentación Espectáculos, TalyCual and Islamusa, ‘for its undeniable acclaim and rave reviews for the five seasons of its run’.

The indefatigable José Sacristán interprets this monologue on grief and lost love, directed by the late José Sámano, an adaptation of the eponymous novel written by his colleague Miguel Delibes. Sacristán interprets Nicolás, a troubled painter who has been unable to pick up a brush since the death of his wife. The story takes place on a grey and austere set that contrasts with the fiery interpretation of Sacristán, who is a master of silences and nuances and whose star shines brightly in this production. It is the third of Delibes' novels that Sámano staged, on this occasion with the collaboration of José Sacristán and the playwright Inés Camiña, who not only adapted the original text to the veteran actor's dynamic stage presence but styled for him a fresher and more youthful version.

'Winning an audience award is one of the best things that can happen to you because, when you launch a production, you want people to go and see it. And if they see it and like it and recommend it, well, there's nothing better than that,' said Jesús Cimarro, director of Pentación Espectáculos. This theatrical production company is behind other successful versions of works of the Delibes-Sámano duo, such as Five Hours with Mario, which has had a run of over 40 years. The company has also played a decisive role in the continuity and success of this production of Señora de rojo sobre fondo gris (Lady in Red on Grey Background), which has been interpreted for the last five years in theatres throughout Spain and Latin America in a run that has taken it to the some of the best venues in Argentina, such as the Teatro San Martín in Buenos Aires, the Teatro del Bicentenario in San Juan and the Cine Teatro Plaza in Mendoza, and Uruguay, specifically at the El Galpón in Montevideo.

Cimarro believes that the keys to the production's success are its impeccable staging and, in particular, José Sacristán's ‘outstanding interpretation’ and a story that ‘enthrals audiences’. As a result, the public and critics have reacted enthusiastically to this extraordinary emotional and biographical testimony of Delibes and his wife, which has thrilled thousands of spectators on both sides of the Atlantic. The text works as an autobiography and a book of memoirs of Delibes while paying tribute to and narrating the story of the life of his wife Ángeles de Castro. It is also a testimony of the final months of the Franco dictatorship and a telling of a seemingly desperate attempt of the awarded writer to be once again as close as possible to his wife.

 

Three special awards
The Max Awards have been Spain's most prestigious performing arts awards since they were created 27 years ago. They honour artists in 20 categories and include three special awards: the Max Award of Honour, given to Nuria Espert for her lifelong achievement; the Max Award for Amateurs or Social Initiatives, which has honoured the work of LaTrup Asociación Teatral Universitaria Troysteatro of La Laguna (Tenerife) for its amateur efforts, and the Public Applause Max Award, given this year to Señora de rojo sobre fondo gris (Lady in Red on Grey Background) by Sabre Producciones, Pentación Espectáculos, TalyCual and Islamusa.

 

About the Max Awards
The SGAE Foundation has overseen the Max Awards for Performing Arts since 1998. The award itself was designed by the Catalonian poet and plastic artist Joan Brossa (Barcelona, 1919 – 1998), a founding member of one of the groups that renewed Spanish art in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War. Since their creation, the Max Awards have come to recognise the most significant number of categories of achievement in the performing arts in Spain. The ceremony has gained viewership, drawing the interest of all companies throughout Spain. This year, 522 productions have competed for the awards.