As an actor, Edwin Bernal has lived many lives. For the past few years, he’s been writing, producing, and starring as a rotating cast of characters in his own Spanish language YouTube skits. But when he was first approached to play the lead character in an upcoming theater drama about immigrants, it felt like destiny.

“Sometimes I feel like the character was waiting for me,” said Bernal, who stars as Blanca in Tacones (Rhymes with Cojones).

The play, which takes its name from the Spanish word for high heels, is debuting at this year’s Capital Fringe Festival. Written by local playwright M. Cristina Garcia, the story follows Blanca – a gay immigration lawyer by day and bar owner by night who also dresses in drag. 

Blanca is tasked with helping a stranger, Chacho, who’s in search of a lost lover. However, things go south for the two characters when they find themselves caught up in a raid by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or “La Migra” as it’s known in Spanish.

“This writing, it’s kind of similar to what I’ve been [through],” said Bernal, who lives in D.C. but was born in Guatemala.

Like the character of Blanca, Bernal is a gay immigrant trying to navigate life in the U.S. since leaving his home country more than a decade ago. That’s not a coincidence, according to Garcia. She says she wanted to “honor those communities” by relating some of Bernal’s own experience into the script.

It’s a story that frames immigration as an act of loss as much as it is a gain, says Garcia, who lives in Takoma Park. 

Although the plot can feel heavy at times, Garcia says she also wanted to give it a sense of humor — a quality that she says both the queer and immigrant communities are familiar with.

“There is joy and there is reason to laugh,” says Garcia, whose parents immigrated to the U.S. from Panama and Colombia. “Edwin will bring that to us.”

Still, it’s not always easy for immigrants like Bernal to find their footing in the performing arts, says director Mediombo Singo Fofana. Aside from working multiple jobs to support themselves, they sometimes struggle with their immigration status and even their accents. Fofana says he once auditioned for the role of an African man from a French-speaking country — much like himself — but that the role was given to an American.

“I wanted to give up,” says Fofana, who was born in the Ivory Coast. “But I said, ‘Why? I’m going to prove them that I can do what any American can do.’”

Rather than making marginalized actors an afterthought, Garcia says she wanted to write a play about immigrants by immigrants. She was inspired by her own family’s journey to the U.S., along with the experiences of Haitians and Central Americans, whose stories she says are often ignored. 

“I think about my father coming to the United States as a 25-year-old with all of these dreams,” says Garcia. “We are committed to getting this voice out.”

Garcia’s play is not alone in this endeavor. There are several plays within this year’s Capital Fringe festival that are by the children of immigrants, or explore themes such as colonialism, identity, and searching for connection to one’s homeland. While he’s focused on directing Tacones, Fofana says he feels empowered to be part of this group.

“When the audience leaves the theater, they’re going to think about immigrant people,” says Fofana.

The opportunity to fill Blanca’s shoes  – glittered and all – is one that has helped Bernal be truer to himself. 

“I never had the opportunity in my home country to be who I am,” said Bernal. “Theater saved me in some way.”

Tacones (Rhymes with Cojones) runs from July 16 and July 23-24 at Capital Fringe’s 3 Stars theater space in the former DSW store. the show runs 70 minutes and tickets are $15.