Pepa Plana, National Circus Award: “Clowns are impertinent because we ask pertinent questions”

Next year she officially turns 25 years old as a clown, but there is another celebration that has crept in ahead. That of the 2022 National Circus Award granted by the Ministry of Culture and Sports, “for being a pioneer in putting women at the center of circus creation and, specifically, in the field of clowning.” The jury has also highlighted her contribution and “innovation of clownesque language”. At NIUS we have spoken with Pepa Plana (Valls, Tarragona, 1965) to find out what this award represents for her. Question: How did you receive the news? Answer: With surprise. I did not expect it. The Minister of Culture, Miquel Iceta, called me on Thursday, from Frankfurt (Germany), when I was in the market, in the Ebro Delta. He had just arrived from the Canary Islands and the feeling, when he told me the news, it’s that the ground was still shaking. It combs your ego. It’s a moment of glory, which is ephemeral. I also know what hell is, also ephemeral.Q: What does it mean for your career the National Circus Award? A: It could be a stimulus. I hope it helps me to have more job opportunities, to be able to do more gigs. But I don’t know what will happen, I can’t guess. I’m not naive. I’m a long-distance racer. Sometimes managing the ephemeral can be dangerous or even scary. Q: How do you see the s situation of the sector? A: I am optimistic, but also realistic. In my case, I don’t have a plan B. I think that society and culture in general are going through a difficult time, of uncertainty. I see discouragement, anguish, accentuated now by the war in Ukraine. We have to do something to fix it, seriously. We need to invest more in culture. The arts improve people’s mental health. Culture is an infallible antidote against this feeling of discouragement and anguish. And in this situation, and always, the clowns, and clowns, are impertinent because we ask pertinent questions. Each in their own way, trying to make people laugh. We have to invest more in culture. The arts improve people’s mental health. Q: What is a pertinent question today? A: I constantly ask myself questions, but I like to ask them on the microphone… Anyway, a pertinent question is why? The reason for the war, for the problems that are not solved… Q: You used to talk about the ephemeral, about glory and hell… How have you managed it throughout your career? A: I have Feet on the ground. Glory, like the one this award gives you, doesn’t last long. The same goes for hell, it doesn’t last long either. I’m a long-distance racer and I care about what lies between hell and glory; the work of little ant, of making each show better than the previous one. I always think of the show of my dreams and work to create it. Although it is also true that I hope not to do it soon because otherwise I will think that I can die now! and I don’t want to. Q: What has the profession taught you about success and failure, apart from how ephemeral it can be? A: Normally we are instilled with the importance of behaving well and not getting out of tune. On the other hand, we clowns broadcast without fear, from a primary, honest point of view. We question things in a simple way, from a fragile and often pathetic place. So important that it seems to succeed and in the end, the success of a clown is when he fails; when he falls, he makes mistakes, he makes people laugh… So important that he seems to succeed and in the end, the success of a clown is when he fails; when he falls, he makes mistakes, he makes people laugh. Q: What do you demand of the clown profession? A: That we are essential, clowns and artists in general. We give back to the community what we have received. During confinement we saw that culture (books, music, series…) was essential for people. We have to take it seriously and understand the profession. But unfortunately today we are allowing artists who cannot live. If we don’t reverse it, we are lost.