Julieta tells the story of a woman – full of experiences and quirkiness – and the multiple layers that old age brings. Bursting with cheeky wit and a zest for life, Julieta shares her days with us and invites us into her home that has become her whole world. Through her daily routines, we witness the different stages of life, and how our self-image warps accordingly. As her surroundings morph into a mirror house of memories, Julieta finds ways to adapt – and to bring us along.
Would you mind giving us a brief insight into what your show is?
I was very close to my great-aunt Julieta. She was closer than a grandma to me. This show is like walking hand-in-hand with her during her later years and seeing how much she squeezed out of life. At 83 years old, she was still living to the max – going to the beauty salon, drinking rum and coke, and smoking cigars with her friends.
Tell us about the creative team and the process involved?
I’m very lucky to have a great group of creative friends who are now part of Julieta: my set designers Rebekka Dornhege Reyes and Gemma Raurell Colomer I worked with on a symphonic project The Silence of Sound, my good friend Natalia Lafourcade has made the music for Julieta, and my producer Heleen De Boever put me in touch with our technical director Joan Lavandeira. I’m so pleased the story of Julieta resonated with the whole team and they really helped make the show tally with my memories of Mexico and Julieta back in the day.
The story was already I head my when the MICC (Marché International de Cirque Contemporain) contacted me and asked me to submit an idea, this instantly gave me fuel to put my story onto paper and start visualizing it, I remember it being a very fluid process, almost as if the story was inviting me in and not the other way around. It was a magical time since I created it in Berlin and all the visuals have to do with my time there and how inspired I felt. With the support of Chamäleon in Berlin, Tohu in Montréal and Ruhrfestspiele Recklinghausen, I was able to premiere it in 2022 in Germany.
How does it feel coming to the Fringe?
I was last at Fringe in 2017, presenting my show Perhaps Perhaps Quizás. It felt like a really big achievement, even though my time in Edinburgh was a little rough. This time, I’m most excited about sharing Julieta with audiences, catching up with old friends and colleagues, making new friends and feeling inspired by everyone else’s work.
There are over 3,000 shows at the Fringe. So, what sets your show apart?
Very few shows talk about being old and growing old – no one wants to talk about that! Julieta brings the poetry of living to the forefront, showing just how many lives and experiences fit into one body. The journey of life is something to be cherished, and shouldn’t be seen as the end.
Is there anything specific you’re hoping the audience will take away?
That ageing isn’t something to fear and to live life to its very fullest, just like Julieta.
Your ideal audience is in attendance, who’s watching? Or more importantly – who isn’t there…
My ideal audience is anyone who has or had a Julieta figure in their life, may it be a grandma, a mother, a friend or a neighbour. It’s for anyone who, after the show, will want to call a loved one and tell them they love them or just say hello!
It’s an intense month, so where you’re able, how do you plan to relax, and are there any other shows you intend to see or want to recommend?
There are a few shows which I can’t wait to see:
- COMALA, COMALA, based on the influential Mexican novel Pedro Pȧramo reimagined as an original musical
- Wes Peden’s ROLLERCOASTER – a mesmerising work of circus from Wes who is such a wonderful person and beautiful human
- SILLY LITTLE THINGS, the newest show from my dear friend Trygve Wakenshaw. Everything he does is hilarious.
- Still Hungry’s SHOW PONY, whose contemporary circus show is so refreshing and inspiring due to its feminine perspective. It’s also one of Chamäleon Berlin’s shows which has produced Julieta too.
In your ideal world, how can we improve the Fringe, of performance, and the industry?
I really love the Fringe and getting to see what people the world over have created, but it can be so overwhelming for both artist and audience with the sheer volume of stuff going on. I can also understand that people might not feel the most able to create something in a pressurised environment like the Fringe. But I really love how many artists gather at Fringe and how watching other works is so inspiring.
Julieta runs at Venue 26: Summerhall (1 Summerhall, EH9 1PL)
Photo credit – Brenda Islas
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