Fantasma

by Benjamin Benne

Commissioned by South Coast Repertory Theatre

It’s Christmas Eve in Southern California and Rosie’s family gathers in her newly-renovated kitchen to make chuchitos. Her grandchildren are eager to learn and document every part of the recipe for this traditional Guatemalan dish she has prepared her entire life. But Rosie’s cooking has more to do with intuition than metrics, and recording and remembering are...

Commissioned by South Coast Repertory Theatre

It’s Christmas Eve in Southern California and Rosie’s family gathers in her newly-renovated kitchen to make chuchitos. Her grandchildren are eager to learn and document every part of the recipe for this traditional Guatemalan dish she has prepared her entire life. But Rosie’s cooking has more to do with intuition than metrics, and recording and remembering are entirely different things. An expansive and lyrical intergenerational story that spans nearly two decades, Fantasma explores how we preserve our culture, how we assimilate, and the cost of what we leave behind.

  • Inquire About Rights
  • Recommend
  • Download
  • Save to Reading List

Fantasma

Recommended by

  • Elizabeth A. M. Keel: Fantasma

    What a special piece. The ebb and flow from Christmas to Christmas, with knowledge being lost or preserved, and truths changing from woman to woman, is something deeply human. The thought of the ghost table and the chance to design it gives me literal goosebumps.  There is humor and hope, but it's tempered with the salt of sadness at the same time. An A+ play: well worth the groceries.

    What a special piece. The ebb and flow from Christmas to Christmas, with knowledge being lost or preserved, and truths changing from woman to woman, is something deeply human. The thought of the ghost table and the chance to design it gives me literal goosebumps.  There is humor and hope, but it's tempered with the salt of sadness at the same time. An A+ play: well worth the groceries.

  • Shaun Leisher: Fantasma

    A beautiful look at a family as they pass down traditions and memories. Loved the moments of direct address blended into this usually hyper-naturalistic play. This play has some fantastic roles for Latine actresses.

    A beautiful look at a family as they pass down traditions and memories. Loved the moments of direct address blended into this usually hyper-naturalistic play. This play has some fantastic roles for Latine actresses.

Development History

  • Type Workshop, Organization The Playwrights' Center, Year 2024
  • Type Workshop, Organization The Public - NYC, Year 2023
  • Type Workshop, Organization South Coast Repertory, Year 2022

Awards

  • Seven Devils Playwrights Conference
    id Theatre
    Semi-Finalist
    2024
  • PlayLabs
    The Playwrights Center
    Selection
    2024