Set and costume designer Pedro Azevedo is the winner of the 4th edition of the Revelation Award Ageas Teatro Nacional D. Maria II (TNDM), it was announced Friday at the Olga Cadaval Cultural Centre, in Sintra.
The prize has a value of 5,000 euros, has been awarded annually since 2020, and the winner of this edition was announced at a ceremony that preceded the premiere of the play The Misanthropewith a text by Hugo van der Ding and Martim Sousa Tavares based on the original by Molière, staged by Mónica Garnel, as part of the National Odyssey with which D. Maria II takes programming throughout the country throughout this year.
“Recognizing and promoting emerging talents in the theater scene, encouraging the development of a professional career in the sector” are the objectives of this award, aimed at theater professionals aged up to 30 and whose artistic work has stood out in the previous year.
The actors, directors, choreographers and programmers Álvaro Correia, António Durães, Catarina Barros, Cristina Carvalhal, Cucha Carvalheiro, Isabel Zuaá, John Romão, Mário Coelho, Marta Carreiras, Mónica Garnel, Pedro Mendes, Rui Horta, Rui Pina Coelho, Sara Barros Leitão and Tónan Quito, as representatives of various artistic areas, made up the jury that elected Pedro Azevedo.
The quality of artistic performance, its contribution to the development and strengthening of the theatrical field, the ability to grow and enhance the career, both nationally and internationally, and the introduction of elements of innovation or differentiation in professional practice are, according to the statement sent by D. Maria II, evaluation criteria for the award.
Born in Porto, in 1996, Pedro Azevedo graduated in Theatre, in 2017, in Scenography, at the Superior School of Music and Performing Arts in that city.
Since 2016, he has been developing joint projects with Guilherme de Sousa, with whom he founded, in 2019, the artistic structure BLUFF, with stage work ranging from theater to dance, including performance and installation.
As a set designer and costume designer, he designed theater, dance and music shows with artists such as Ana Isabel Castro, Alfredo Martins, André Braga & Cláudia Figueiredo, Bárbara Tinoco, Daniela Cruz, Roberto Olivan and Rodrigo Leão, as well as the scenography and costumes for the show Notebooks of.a creation by Raquel S., premiered on TNDM in November 2022.
TNDM added that Pedro Azevedo’s work “seeks to materialize the visual universe of the shows, giving a very specific plastic expression to each of the creations, helping to define an artistic vision through thinking about space, its relationship with the text and their interpreters”.
When announcing the winner of the award, the chairman of the board of directors of TNDM, Rui Catarino, congratulated the winner, expressing “great satisfaction” for attributing the award, for the fourth consecutive year, stating that he hopes that he can “continue to contribute, in consistently and regularly, for the appreciation of young professionals at a national level”.
“The recognition of the remarkable work of young professionals is a bet on the future of Portuguese theatre”, he underlined.
Pedro Azevedo now joins Sara Barros Leitão, Mário Coelho and Cárin Geada, winners, respectively, of the 2020, 2021 and 2022 editions.