The jury of the I Juan Cervera Scholarship The first edition of the research project on performing arts for children and young people, organised by ASSITEJ Spain, has decided to award this first edition to the researcher, playwright and director Nani de Julián for his project “SIN BOCA. What and how children and young people are being told in puppet, visual and object theatre (VTVO)”.
The jury highlighted the originality of the proposal and its capacity to open up new lines of research in the field of creation and contemporary thought. The project proposes a transcendence of the academic sphere, offering tools, mapping and methodologies applicable to real working contexts, and is based on a solid and rigorously structured methodology. These aspects, together with the author's professional profile and background, guarantee the viability and interest of the research.
Nani de Julián's research seeks to make the emerging poetics of puppet, visual and object theatre visible, consolidating this territory as a space for experimentation, scenic thought and dialogue with new generations. The study combines a theoretical review with interviews with leading figures in the sector and with emerging companies on the current scene, with the aim of understanding what and how children and young people are being told today through the OPT.
In this first edition, to which 29 proposals were submitted, the jury also wanted to recognise the quality of the finalist works: the project by Cristian Palacios and Micaela Picarelli, “La risa feroz. El humor y lo cómico en el teatro para niños, niñas y jóvenes”, and that of Paula Bustos, “Accesibilidad e inclusión en públicos infantiles y juveniles. The case of the Cervantes National Theatre of Buenos Aires”.
With an endowment of €2,500, the Juan Cervera Grant was created with the aim of promoting the study and critical thinking on theatre and the performing arts aimed at children and young people, recognising research work as a driving force for the development of the sector.
Nani de Julián's research will run until September 2026.
