Bucket List feels more vivid in London than it did in Edinburgh

Three years ago, I was sitting on a bench by the river Thames in front of the Houses of Parliament. Beside me sat Vicky Araico Casas, a Mexican writer and actress and a longstanding collaborator of mine. Vicky told me about an idea she had for a new play where an orphan girl named Milagros from one of the most deprived neighbourhoods in Mexico fights her way out of poverty. Just as she starts climbing up the social ladder she is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Milagros then decides to spend the rest of her time on earth killing the people she holds responsible for the circumstances of her life in an act of revenge. Vicky told me how in Mexico due to the complete and utter desperation of people living with such dysfunctional and corrupt systems, you would commonly hear the infamous phrase: "If I had a terminal illness and I had nothing more to lose, I’d grab a gun and shoot some politicians". I looked at the Houses of Parliament and for a second, in my mind’s eye I saw it in flames…

In the play we were protesting the Mexican government when the night before we were protesting outside Downing Street

This conversation became the starting point of a creative process spanning three years that led to our show, Bucket List, which premiered at Edinburgh Fringe last year. In it, Milagros’ mother is killed protesting government corruption and injustice, and Milagros decides to take revenge. We were delighted with the reaction it received from audiences and critics alike. In her review for WhatsOnStage Sarah Crompton gave the show five stars referring to it as a 'magical theatrical force'. It felt good to be highlighting the trade agreements that force those living on the border in Mexico into inhumane conditions, the subtleties of corruption that means they can’t help themselves and those in power that ignore them.

All I could think of was how many other protests I had taken part in and how the thing I was protesting still continued

Last week, I found myself by the Houses of Parliament again, this time joining thousands of other demonstrators protesting against Trump's potential visit to the UK. I was chanting and waving my banner with the huge crowd but all I could think of was how many other protests I had taken part in and how often the horrible thing I was protesting against – occupation, cuts to public funding for the disabled, privatisation of social care, worker’s rights, war – still continued. Yes, shouting anti-Trump slogans made me feel like I was doing something to change what I thought was wrong but is protesting enough? Will it actually stop him visiting the UK? Will it stop May aligning our country with what looks likely to become a fascist regime?

Back in the rehearsal room, ahead of the London premiere, Bucket List felt even more vivid than it had in Edinburgh. Here we were acting out a scene protesting against the Mexican government when just the night before we were protesting outside Downing Street. In Bucket List the workers are protesting against Nafta (North American Free Trade Agreement) as it makes their life into a rights-less living hell. When we performed the show in Edinburgh, most of the audience hadn’t heard of Nafta. Now, many more people have, but hardly in a way we would have wanted.

Bucket List runs at BAC from 13 February to 4 March and then tours the UK.