Juana in a Million @ Pleasance

Juana in a Million is one of the only shows at the Edinburgh Fringe which has been decades in the making - the theatrical product of the lives of immigrants. The performance boldly presents the realities of co-writer and sole-performer Vicky Araico Casas’ own experiences as a Latino immigrant, whilst unearthing other powerful stories of the ‘invisible’ underground community she was directly related to.

I asked Vicky where the Fringe show actually began. “Well, certainly the first story was my own. I lived for a year as an illegal immigrant in Toronto, Canada. I was working in a shoe warehouse, alongside many others, as part of the huge underground economy on which the ‘visible’ economy is built. During that time I began imagining the play that eventually became Juana in a Million.”

Vicky’s story travelled, attaining a student visa and emigrating again to study in the UK. However, the elusive community of migrant workers hadn’t disappeared to her trained eye - “working at night, cleaning the offices, taking the night buses, sleeping during the day” - and her notion for the show grew stronger. “I guess the inspiration for Juana... comes from a very deep sleeping voice that is both somewhere in me and is shared at a profound level with millions of immigrants, from Latin America and elsewhere.”

Nir Paldi (of Theatre Ad Infinitum) joined Vicky in bringing the production to life. He clarified what the ‘observer’, Juana, would become by acting as co-writer and director, as Vicky explained:
“Nir pushed me to ask some deep personal questions: As an immigrant myself, why am I here? What is it about Mexico that I love, that I hate? What are my conflicted feelings about the past of my country, and about its present condition?”

“While we were developing the final form of Juana, Nir and I had a series of interviews with Frances Carlisle, director of the Latin American Women’s Rights Service (LAWRS), an organisation that helps Latin American women overcoming poverty, exploitation and abuse," she continues. "My stories from Canada were not strange to Frances, and she shared many more. We were also helped by No Longer Invisible, a research publication that shed a lot of light on the conditions in which the Latin American worker´s community lives in London.”

A significant aspect to the show is its strictly one-woman cast. I asked Vicky what led her to take on such a demanding role. “Juana in a Million is a powerful piece, very physical, dynamic, restless. It doesn’t shy away from confronting the often absurd and painful realities of immigration today. I think the personal stories, based on real characters and real experiences, become more powerful when flowing from character to character in the same body. Something about this device enables emotions, memories and imaginary spaces to live seamlessly, side by side.”

Premiering at the Fringe, Juana in a Million doesn’t set out to find a solution to any issues surrounding immigration. Although Vicky acknowledges there are greater questions - such as what it means to be a woman, a Mexican, an immigrant, especially an illegal immigrant - her priority is to place a spotlight on these long overlooked perspectives, granting them life, even if just for a moment.

“Juana in a Million is a story about simple people: not heroes, not infallible, not impeccable - to many, invisible. I am proud to be able to give voice to them. A powerful, simple story.”