The Foundation for the Catalan Congress of Mental Health, within the framework of the Other Festival held in Barcelona between June 4 and 7, 2015, convened the 1st Prize for Performing Arts and Mental Health Josep Clusa.
The Josep Clusa Performing Arts and Mental Health Award, with a prize of 2,000 euros, has been awarded to the company Sprouts of Pallapupas Hospital Clowns.
Brots is a theater creation and training group made up of people with and without mental health conditions, promoted by Papullas in 2010 in direct collaboration with Radio Nikosia.
Today, the group has 25 stage performances, both in Catalonia, across Spain, and in Croatia. Their works have been presented to thousands of people, with whom they have been able to engage in dialogue and raise awareness, bridging gaps regarding the stigma of mental health. Using the methodology of Theatre of the Oppressed, the actors have constructed the stories performed based on their own experiences.
The Other Festival of Performing Arts and Mental Health a Success
The first International Festival of Performing Arts and Mental Health concluded on Sunday the 7th with expectations more than surpassed. This sociocultural event, which took place between June 4th and 7th, offered a program of over 30 theater, circus, dance, and music performances, mostly created and developed by people with mental health issues.
The Festival has been a showcase for Catalan companies with years of experience and innovative methodology, but also for artistic groups from Madrid, the Balearic Islands, Alicante, the Basque Country, and from what has been this year's guest country, Italy. Additionally, The Other has counted on the complicity of established artists such as Marta Carrasco, which will premiere a show conceived especially for the Festival and with people with mental disorders, or the circus company The Galindos, who set up their yurt for four days in the outdoor space of Fabra i Coats to accommodate smaller, more intimate proposals.
This first edition of the Festival, which aims to become a benchmark in the world of culture and mental health, has been made possible thanks to the work of over 100 volunteers who have committed to the project from the beginning and who, during the Festival days, welcomed the companies and the attending public with impeccable organization and coordination.
At the closing ceremony, Manel Anoro, the Festival's director, thanked and congratulated all the people and companies who participated in L'Altre.“to trust and bet on a project that has been a great success in terms of participation, artistic and human quality, and a space for sharing experiences.”.
The Other Festival It has had the collaboration of various cultural and mental health entities from Catalonia and the support of the Diputació de Barcelona, the Ajuntament de Barcelona, La Caixa, the Italian Cultural Institute of Barcelona, and the Obertament Association.
Interviews related to The Other Festival
«With the Josep Clusa Award, we want to connect man with performing arts and Mental Health.»
Interview with Àngels Vives, president of the CCSM Foundation
Company interview Sprouts of Pallapupas, winners of the 1st Josep Clusa Prize