The Golden Nose from the Cornellà International Clown Festival 2024
Pepa Plana ha rebut el Nas d’or del Festival Internacional de Pallassos de Cornellà 2024.
Forty years after its first edition, the Cornellà International Clown Festival – Memorial Charlie Rivel has celebrated its 20th edition. This time, it awarded its coveted Golden Nose to the clown Pepa Plana in recognition of her career. She has spent many years and produced many shows with a unique signature style, from her own company, which combines solo performances with others in duo or trio clown acts. Her repertory company travels across Europe and Latin America presenting its shows.
Beyond her presence in circus and on stages, she has always stood out for her work in promoting female clowns. To date, only three women have received this award: Mary Santpere, posthumously, in the 1994 edition; Marceline Khan as a member of the Los Excéntricos company in 2022; and now, in 2024, Pepa Plana. This shows that there is still much work to be done, but at the same time, a great pride in sharing the honor with these two inspiring figures.
“Premio Ángeles Rubio Argüelles 2024″
On Saturday, January 27, Pepa Plana received the Ángeles Rubio Argüelles Award from actress Macarena Pérez Bravo of the Pata Teatro company.
At the end of the performance of “Si tú te vas,” with the Echegaray Theatre filled with an enthusiastic audience, Pepa Plana emotionally thanked for this recognition, especially being aware of the weight of Ángeles Rubio Argüelles’ name due to the legacy she left in the City of Málaga.
Throughout her career, Pepa Plana has always stood out for advocating the work of women in the performing arts, and awards like this reinforce her commitment to continue on the same path.
This marked the conclusion of our company’s first participation in the “41st Festival de Teatro de Málaga,” and we look forward to reconnecting with the Málaga audience on another occasion.
National Circus Award 2022
Pepa Plana was honoured on October 21, 2022, by the Ministry of Culture and Sports with the 2022 National Circus Award, which acknowledges her for “pioneering the role of women in the spotlight of circus creation, specifically within the realm of clowning.” The jury also highlighted the actress and clown’s contributions and “innovation in clowning language.”
The Ministry of Culture considers the Pepa Plana Company a national and European reference in this genre for the quality of its performances and its contribution to increasing the visibility of female clowns.
The National Circus Award is an annual accolade created in 1990 by Spain’s Ministry of Culture to recognize the “notable work of a person or entity in the field of circus arts, preferably manifested through a work or performance made public or staged during the year.”
The Ministry grants this award each year, recognizing the activities of Spanish circus entities and professionals, both within Spain and abroad.
Audience Award at the “39th International Festival of Comic and Festive Theatre in Cangas”
Pepa Plana and Clara del Ruste captivated the audience at the “39th International Festival of Comic and Festive Theatre in Cangas” with their play Veus que no veus (Voices You Don’t See). The performance closed the 39th edition of the festival to applause and a standing ovation. As in previous editions, the audience voted after each evening’s play. After tallying the votes, Veus que no veus was named the winner. Pepa Plana had previously performed at the festival in 2018 with Paraíso Pintado (Painted Paradise), which also received the Audience Award.
Pepa Plana and Clara del Ruste expressed their immense satisfaction and gratitude to the festival. “We feel very fortunate for both the warm welcome and the response from the audience.” Both were aware of the high caliber of shows presented over the two weeks in Cangas. “In art, everything is so subjective, and it’s hard to evaluate artists’ work,” they explained, adding that “awards, in a way, give a boost to your ego.”
For the two clowns, the festival audience “is a gift.” They described it as “fantastic” and felt that it demonstrated a deep sensitivity toward the performing arts. Pepa and Clara emphasized the significance of the MITCFC celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2023. “Planting a tree is easy; it’s keeping it growing that’s hard,” they said, underlining the importance of such events for society. They also stressed that “festivals belong to the people, not to whichever politicians are in office.”
Butaca Award 2020 for the show “Veus que no veus.”
The Butaca Theater Awards were created in 1995 to recognize theatrical productions premiered in Catalonia
Finalists are selected by a jury of experts, while the winners are directly voted on by the public, giving a voice to the audience and validating their opinions. This public involvement has brought the awards great prestige.
Aiming to make the event a celebration that promotes and spreads awareness of theatre, with the audience as the central focus, the awards have been presented in various Catalan cities since 2006.
On December 15, 2020, the 26th edition of the Butaca Theater Awards of Catalonia took place at the Teatre l’Amistat in Premià de Mar, bringing good news for the Pepa Plana Company, which won the award for Veus que no Veus.
Many thanks, and long live the Butaca Awards!
Zirkòlika Award for Best Clown Show 2019
“Veus que no veus” was one of the winners at the 10th edition of the Zirkòlika Circus Awards in Catalonia. Starring Pepa Plana, a clown from Valls, and Noël Olivé, an actress from Igualada, the production revives classic clown acts traditionally performed in circus tents, but with a feminine perspective.
“Veus que no veus” won the 2019 Zirkòlika Award for Best Clown Show for its aesthetic and staging, the high level of comic technique, the migration of skills from theatre, the talented and synchronized duo performance, and for reviving classic clown acts.
Since its inception in 2010, the Nit de Circ (Circus Night) has become a key event for the entire sector. Its aim is to promote circus arts while dignifying and contributing to the professionalization of the Catalan circus sector, its artists, and companies.
Culture Award of the 2019 Catalan Press Association (APPEC)
On Thursday, June 27, 2019, the 19th Night of Magazines and Catalan Press was held, an event organized by APPEC, the association of print and digital magazine publishers, to highlight the contributions of the industry.
A gala, which recognizes the most outstanding publications and professionals of 2018 and also presents three awards in the fields of Communication, Culture, and Society. This year’s Culture Award was given to the clown Pepa Plana in recognition of her well-established career.
Audience Award of the XXXV International Festival of Comic and Festive Theatre of Cangas
The Audience Award was established in 2011 with two objectives: to make an active audience like that of the MITCFC the main jury for the shows programmed in each edition, and to reward the professionals participating in the MITCFC with the best possible award, the Audience Award.
The votes from the attendees at the performances granted the Audience Award at the XXXV MITCFC to the clown Pepa Plana for “Paradís Pintat.”
The award consists of an aluminium sculpture designed by artist Manuel Lareo based on the image created by painter Manuel Pizcueta for the development of the MITCFC logo.
Zirkolika Prizefor the best Circus of Sala or Carpa show of 2017
Painted Paradise, Zirkolika Prize for the best Circus of Sala or Carpa show of 2017. It was premiered during the Grec Festival 2016 and directed by Ferruccio Cainero. It deals with the drama of migrations and is a call to not sit still before any injustice.
The jury has valued the control of the rhythm of the artist, the staging of the show, the great talent of the clown on stage and a socially committed work that shakes consciences and offers impressive images.
Since its creation, in 2010, the Night of Circus has become an appointment for the entire sector. Its objective is to promote the circus and at the same time dignify and contribute to the professionalization of the sector and the artists and companies of the Catalan circus.
National Award of Culture 2014 Of the National Council of Culture and the Arts.
The National Awards of Culture – National Arts Awards are the most important distinctions in the field of culture in Catalonia. The National Council of Culture and the Arts (CoNCA) is a body set up by the Parliament of Catalonia that is made up of leading figures in the cultural and artistic milieu, and which, since 2009, it awards the distinctions bestowed by the Government of Catalonia, the Generalitat de Catalunya.
The National Awards are granted to individuals, organizations or institutions of any area in the world that deserve institutional recognition for their singular contribution to Catalan culture, its enrichment and its enhancement. The Awards specially value notions of excellence, innovation, trajectory and projection, whilst having in consideration the contribution during the year preceding the award.
CoNCA aims to distinguish innovation, continuity and excellence. The National Awards of Culture 2014 vindicate creativity as a veritable symbol of a country with such cultural dynamism that is a constitutive part of its historical personality. Culture and civil society are, in Catalonia, one axis of past, present and future.
Pepa Plana receives The National Award of Culture for her established and consolidated career, as well as for the remarkable international tour with the show Penèlope and her recent participation in the Cirque du Soleil. She conveys the object of feminine laughter. She embodies the woman clown, the female universe from the standpoint of feminine humour in a circus often dominated by males.
“Clown of the Year” Award 2013 at the Fira del Clown in Vilanova de la Muga.
La Fira del Clown is a Festival that fills the streets of Vilanova de la Muga and which includes performances by female clowns, male clowns, music, circus and theatre. This festival was conceived to provide an exciting and diverse program that would appeal to all audiences and ages.
This year, and as part of the Festival’s second edition, an award ceremony to nominate ‘The Clown of the Year 2012 and 2013′ was held. This award recognises initiatives, projects, activities and professionals renowned for their importance, trajectory or impact on the world of clowning.
The ‘Clown of the Year’ is an honorary award without a cash prize, however its importance resides on the fact that the organising committee of the Festival itself decides the winner.
Pepa Plana receives the Clown of the Year Award 2013 in recognition for her career, her performative qualities and charisma on stage, as well as to highlight her important work in pro of women Clown and the projection of Catalan language in her latest show with the company Cirque du Soleil.
Sabatot Alegre Award, 9a Setmana del Pallasso (9th Clown Week) Castellar del Vallès 2011.
The Sabatot Alegre is an award that honours initiatives, projects, activities and professionals that stand out for their importance, trajectory or impact. It was established in 2005, and from that first step Sabatot Alegre has never stopped to stride forward.
In 2011 Pepa Plana was the artist considered to deserve such an honour. She is a female clown, renowned for her brilliant career right from the beginning, which stands out for her quality and charisma on stage. Of note is her important task in pro of female clowning, having directed the five editions of the International Female Clowns Festival that have taken place in Andorra.
The Audience Award at the Zirkolika Magazine Awards Gala 2010, for , by PENÈLOPE
The Circus awards Zirkòlika of Catalonia were established in 2010 with the aim of building up awareness about Catalan circus creativity and production. Such a public and mediatic acknowledgement was intended as a testimony to the genre’s high level of artistic quality within the different disciplines of contemporary practice. The Zirkòlika awards have achieved significant media coverage.
They are organised by the association Zirkòlika; a project dedicated to the dissemination and communication of Circus Arts. Since 2004 Zirkòlika publishes the only magazine specialising in circus, as well as maintaining a comprehensive portal online that includes a calendar of festivals, a listing of events and shows, a circus library, as well as news, reports and general information about the genre.
ARC Award 2004 in the Circus category for the show “Giulietta”.
The ARC AWARDS are widely regarded as the benchmark awards for live music and spectacle in Catalonia.
ARC (Association of Professional Agents, Promoters and Managers of Catalonia) is a non-profit organisation that has its origins in 1976. It was created by a group of agents of Catalonia and the Balearic Islands with the intention of uniting their professional interests whilst, at the same time, providing solvency and a solid reputation to the profession.
Honorary Mention for the show “Giulietta” in the IX International Clown Festival of Cornellà.
The show premiered in the IX International Clown Festival of Cornellà-Memorial Charlie Rivel earning an honorary mention for its overall quality
Aplaudiment FAD Award 1999 for the show “De Pe a Pa”.
The FAD Sebastià Gasch Awards were established in 1976 to distinguish the most outstanding theatre-related projects and performances of the season, as well as recognising all those professionals that propose different and innovative practices in show business.
Since then, the jury, made up of an heterogeneous group of people eager to follow up original proposals, ideas and projects as well as the careers of its protagonists, is renewed periodically. After attending as many shows as possible throughout the season, each member of the jury argues for his or her chosen productions or individual performances until an agreement is reached; a sincere attempt to recognise something special: limitless creativity.
The Aplaudiment Awards is a distinction awarded to a person, creation or entity who has been particularly outstanding in some especially relevant aspect of their work.
