What inspired you to do this piece or how did you get in contact with materials?

Monday, September 9th, 2013

Writes Juanita Mora

Be Inspired Entertainment

She presents Payasos de la Frontera/Clowns at Traffic Lights as part of Nuestra CASA Scratch Night 203

My last piece ‘Que pasa con Ramona?’, also known as ‘Que pasa contigo, Juanita?’, was inspired by my own mother and true events around dealing with the migration of illegally crossing the border to a different country for a better life. A hard working mother gives hope to her children, but her children struggle with identity of being raised in a different culture and born into one nationality but descending of another. ‘Payasos de la Frontera/Clowns at Traffic Lights’ is a piece of survival along the borders of Mexico, Tijuana. My last piece inspired me to look deeper into the resilience of the hard-working Mexican. It is inspired by true events of what happens to people when they cannot live at home. Friends that I have had in the past have suffered certain circumstances that made them leave their home and thus taking what they had and selling it. Young adults use their talents such as clowning, get addicted to drugs or prostitute themselves. These runaways or survivors flee home because of some kind of abuse in their family. My own close encounter with this was while living in Hollywood and seeing the dark side of the glitz and glamour. Hollywood, the place of dreams, but also the hidden darkness of so many who desperately try to so-called ‘make it’ in the entertainment industry, be it music or film. The city can accept you and spit you out. Hollywood kids, also known as runaways, see the dark truth when living there as you can lose your way just like along the borders of Mexico, Tijuana and Mexico City.

I actually struggled with what to propose for this piece, and then it came to me out of nowhere and it was the only thing that resonated in my mind. I remember reading an article whilst training at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and being touched by the idea of telling this truth through devising a piece in order to communicate the difficulties and similarities that can cross cultures and nations. One thing that is apparent is that London is becoming more diverse with Latinos coming from so many different countries. But one thing that the English culture may not know is the truth behind the people of Mexico and its beautiful culture, as people continue to stereotype this minority in negative ways in the media. I believe that this piece will communicate, allow interest and expose realities within and unveil the commonalities between cultures.

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