Festival MUTIS X Awards

Last Sunday, the 24th of March, the Award Ceremony of Festival MUTIS X took place in CaixaFórum. It was a special gala because a decade of Festival MUTUS was celebrated, a festival that gathers the best of the independent scene in national and Latin American scenarios in Barcelona, and that was noticeable.

Some members of the troupe La Meridiana attended as guests to the gala because, after the recent premiere of 'Gente Nocturna' (Nocturnals), the play had several nominations.

'Gente Nocturna' (Nocturnals) opted to three prizes on its section:

- Best Supporting Actress (Nia Patón)

- Best Supporting Actor (Cristian Fernández)

- Best Original Script (Misael Sanroque) WINNER

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Regarding the prize, Sanroque declared:

"Last night and today's morning, a long procedure to premiere 'Gente Nocturna' has come to an end

Vanitas, vanitatis, thanks to Festival MUTIS for its reception, support, for the prize to Best Original Script and the nominations to Best Supporting Actor (Cristian Fernández) and Best Supporting Actress (Nia Patón), and thanks to Cafè-Teatre Llantiol for its emblematical space. And, of course, to all the ones who came to watch us.​

And I want to thank Iggy Planas myself because part of the blame of it ALL is his. Thanks, friend!"

Misael Sanroque with the prize to Best Original Script

On the other hand, Iggy Planas commented:

"This long-distance race has been intense, with some other bumps or unexpected turns on the way, but finally we had crossed the final line and a proof of this is this prize.

I've never been the one who takes other's merits as his, for the time being, I still consider that this prize belongs entirely to Misael, and he also deserves the whole talent, but I can't help to feel that some part of it also belongs to me since I feel so proud of Misael's prize - no pretensions, I'm content with keeping the envelope of the prize itself. (He jokes, laughing)

Taking something based on reality to the stage, our friendship, in this case, is not an easy task. Many had been the conversations, contributions, or revisions of the text we had drinking some coffee prior to achieving some plausible version to take on stage, all of that carried under the love and the most absolute respect we have to our friendship. Since the first scratch sent to me around 2017 by Misael and the consequent conversation we had, I always had admired the courage which whom Misael dared to show our friendship on a script, a dare I wanted to take part in since minute one and which has mostly been the motor who led me to enrol this adventure without knowing exactly where the wind will take us.

Exposing oneself is not easy, neither stripping your truth before an audience, as much as you try to put some make-up with fictional overtones, the essential basis is still there, it's life itself and that's where the magic of this project relies upon. I remember that one hour and a half before the play's premiere, Misael and I were in a bar - how not! - drinking some coffee or lime to put the nerves down. In a moment, Misael turned to me and confessed that he was afraid: the idea of Max and Otto being seen as blurred versions of caricatures and implausible Misael and Iggy got him afraid. Honestly, I don't remember what I answered exactly, it was something I haven't thought about yet, but I guess I said to him something like: "if the case is given, at least they will consider the fact of exposing ourselves." He was wrong, me too, after the premiere we realized about it and, in fact, for the time being, many people share our opinion that these characters are some kind of 'alter-egos' who only live in fiction, besides sharing many of our features.

Therefore, I can only consider that at the end of this long-distance race of 'Gente Nocturna' we'd been able to cross the final line fulfilling the essential aim. A proof of this is this prize that besides not belonging to me, I can only feel pride for the one who won it and also taking the corresponding part of the blame in the germination of 'Gente Nocturna's seed and the fruits we're getting from it.

A million congratulations to Misael for this prize, also to Nia and Cristian for their respective nominations, and let's keep on like that!"

The 'finish' photo

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Regarding the rest of the Gala, it passed quietly with a performative initial show, the delivery of other many prizes belonging to the three categories, some speeches that extolled the festival's decade of life, and the work of independent theatre inside the social structure both national and Latin American, a row of family pictures, a photo-call and a final toast where both winners and the festival organization received several greetings from the assisting ones.