Interview with Lara Parmiani

Created and performed by a 16-strong ensemble of refugees and migrants, Ali in Wonder(Eng)land returns to Jacksons Lane this July with a newly developed version of its acclaimed reimagining of Alice in Wonderland. Produced by LegalAliens Theatre and developed through their award-winning Tottenham Project, the production uses absurdist humour, physical theatre and lived experience to explore migration, belonging, and resilience. I spoke with director and dramaturg Lara Parmiani about revisiting the show in a changing political climate, creating theatre with communities rather than for them, and the transformative power of storytelling.

Ali in Wonder(Eng)land reimagines Alice in Wonderland through the lens of migration and displacement. What first inspired you to use Lewis Carroll's classic as a vehicle for telling these stories?

The idea came from the absurdity of the immigration system. When you spend enough time with people navigating visa applications, asylum interviews and endless bureaucracy, it starts to feel like you've fallen down a rabbit hole where the rules constantly change and logic doesn't apply. At the same time, Alice in Wonderland is such a British cultural reference. We were interested in asking what happens when somebody arrives in Britain and is expected to understand all these unwritten rules, codes and assumptions. For many migrants, the country can feel both fascinating and bewildering. Alice's journey felt like a perfect framework to explore that.

The production is performed entirely by refugees and migrants. How does working with performers drawing directly from lived experience shape the rehearsal room and the final production?

It changes everything. We have people who arrived in the UK thirty years ago and people who arrived six months ago. People with perfect English who dream of becoming actors and people who barely speak it and have never been on a stage before joining the Tottenham Project. That diversity makes the work richer but also more unpredictable. The show is constantly being rewritten because people keep contributing stories, observations and ideas. It also requires flexibility. Some cast members are dealing with asylum claims, housing insecurity, demanding jobs or family separation. Theatre doesn't happen in isolation from real life. The challenge is creating a space where people can bring all of themselves into the room while still making a piece of theatre together.

The show balances humour and satire with serious themes surrounding migration and discrimination. How important is that balance?

If you only talk about migration through suffering, you reduce people to victims or cliches. Migrants and refugees are some of the funniest people I know have lived through extraordinary difficulties. Humour allows audiences to lower their defences. People can recognise the absurdity of a situation before they start reflecting on it. That's something satire has always done very well. The show deals with racism, bureaucracy and exclusion, but it also celebrates resilience and friendship

You have described the process as both a challenge and a joy. What have been some of the most memorable moments you've experienced while creating the production?

A big man living in a hotel, referred by his GP because he was feeling lonely. He loved football. He was sent to a theatre class. Can you imagine? For three weeks he stood there looking at us like we were crazy with "what am I doing here?" look on his face. But he kept coming. Fast forward three years and he is in the advanced class, is a key member of the community cast and has also started acting in other community productions. I love how people who would have never met before become friends. I love the moments when somebody unexpectedly transforms a scene. One performer improvises a line, another responds, and suddenly an entire scene becomes something else.

Different performers take on the role of Ali throughout the show. What does this shared ownership of the central character add to the storytelling?

The name Ali was chosen precisely because it could belong to many people. Different performers step into the role because the experiences we explore are shared by millions of people moving across borders for completely different reasons. When the character changes hands, audiences are reminded that this isn't one individual's story. It's a collective experience.

The Tottenham Project has been running since 2018 and has earned Theatre of Sanctuary status as well as a Haringey Heroes Award. Looking back, what impact has the project had on those who have taken part?

People often arrive feeling isolated. Some have recently moved to the UK, some are waiting for decisions about their future, some simply don't know many people locally. Over time, they build friendships and support networks. We've seen participants move into paid creative work, return to education, improve their English and gain confidence. But honestly, some of the most important outcomes are harder to measure. People tell us they feel less alone. They have somewhere they belong every week. They know somebody will notice if they don't turn up. In the current climate, that's incredibly valuable.

What unique role do you think community-led theatre plays in changing perceptions around migration?

It creates encounters that statistics and headlines simply can't produce. Most debates about migration happen without migrants in the room. Theatre allows people to meet one another as human beings rather than as abstract political positions. The audience doesn't encounter a narrative about migrants. They encounter actual migrants making theatre, telling jokes, making mistakes, singing, dancing and sharing stories. That kind of direct human connection is very difficult to dismiss.

The production explores navigating systems that can often feel confusing, hostile or dehumanising. How do you ensure those experiences are represented honestly while still creating an entertaining theatrical experience?

Theatre works through metaphor, exaggeration and transformation. The immigration system is already surreal, so sometimes pushing situations into comedy actually reveals a deeper truth than straightforward realism would. Many scenes are inspired by conversations within the ensemble. If something feels false or overly simplistic, somebody will usually say so. Our aim isn't to create a documentary. It's to create a theatrical experience that captures the emotional reality of navigating these systems. The end is very open. Ali becomes aware that the system is a farce, but what happens next? We don't know

LegalAliens Theatre has spent over a decade platforming migrant and refugee voices. Have you noticed shifts in audience responses or wider conversations during that time?

Yes, although not always in the direction I would have hoped. When I arrived in London nearly thirty years ago, migration wasn't discussed with the same intensity that it is now. Today the subject is everywhere, but often in a very polarised way. What I have noticed is that audiences are increasingly interested in hearing directly from people with lived experience. There is a growing recognition that migrants should be part of telling their own stories rather than simply being represented by others. At the same time, some of the rhetoric around migration has become harsher, which makes this work feel more necessary rather than less.

Jacksons Lane has become an important home for the production. What does it mean to return there with this newly developed version of the show?

Jacksons Lane has supported us for years and has consistently believed in our work. Which is not always an easy thing to programme. Returning there feels familiar. This new version of the show feels like a celebration of how far both the production and the participants have come. It's also special because the venue is in the borough where much of this work was created.

Much of your work challenges stereotypes and dominant narratives surrounding migration. Why do you think those stories remain so important to tell today?

Stereotypes are powerful precisely because they simplify people. Migration is often discussed as if millions of people can be reduced to a single story. In reality, every person arrives carrying different histories, ambitions, fears and contradictions. Theatre is very good at complexity. It allows us to hold multiple truths at the same time.

Finally, after revisiting this production and seeing it evolve over the past few years, what are you most excited for audiences to experience in this latest incarnation of the show?

I'm excited for audiences to experience the ensemble. The show has changed because the people making it have changed. This version is funnier, messier, more ambitious and more collective than previous incarnations. I hope audiences come expecting a show about migration and leave feeling that they've spent an evening with a group of remarkable people. And I hope they laugh. A lot. Because despite everything the show talks about, it is ultimately full of joy.

A huge thank you to Lara for taking the time out of her busy schedule to talk to me about this wonderful piece of theatre. Ali in Wonder(Eng)land returns to Jacksons Lane for 2 nights only on the 14th & 15th July. You can find out more information by visiting: https://www.jacksonslane.org.uk/events/ali-in-wonderengland/