What Happens When We Can Prevent the Death of Our Loved Ones? Exploring «Fantasmas,» the Latest Production from Implicancia Teatro

Original article: ¿Qué pasa cuando podemos evitar la muerte de nuestros seres queridos?: El punto de partida de «Fantasmas», la nueva producción de Implicancia Teatro

Implicancia Teatro, founded in 2018, is a Chilean theatrical company that delves into the realms of science fiction, pop culture, and anthropological inquiries about the human condition.

Through imaginatively crafted futures and speculative worlds, the company explores themes such as permanence, death, climate change, motherhood, power, memory, and technology.

«Fantasmas», the sixth production from the company, premieres on October 8 at the Teatro Camilo Henríquez and remains true to its core premise: speculating about the future by observing reality.

Featuring performances by Maite Pino, Francisca Celis, Agustín Ardouin, and Matías León, the play tells the story of Helena, a woman waiting in a cemetery for the arrival of her deceased father’s coffin. As she waits, she encounters a ghost. Convinced it is her father, she attempts to convince the workers at the cemetery and her sister Norma that what she sees is real.

However, as time passes and strange events start to alter the rules of her world, Helena begins to question her own perception and the reality she inhabits.

This tale of grief and science fiction intertwines the mundane, the absurd, and the unsettling, envisioning a near future where technology might recreate those we have lost, prompting reflections on what occurs when this possibility interferes with the transcendent: the need to let go.

In light of this premise, director Eduardo Fuenzalida states, “Technology is already encroaching on this territory, and I believe it could fundamentally change our cultural and emotional relationship with death (…) Artificial intelligence is forcing us to ask new questions about our bonds, our identity, and how we relate to the world.”

“The act of creating something intelligent, capable of making decisions, positions our species in the role of creator of an autonomous entity that could eventually contradict us, surpass us, or even destroy us,” adds Sebastián Carez-Lorca, co-dramaturg of the play.

The production allows for the imagination of possible scenarios that remain close to present or near-future realities. Regarding loss, “grief connects us with death and our finitude. In many ways, this play calls for humility, to open ourselves to the possibility of understanding the universe in different ways,” Sebastián concludes.

Coordinates

Performances: October 8 to 17
7:30 PM
Saturday, October 17, double feature with matinee times at 4:00 PM and 7:30 PM.
Duration: 75 minutes
Location: Teatro Camilo Henríquez, Amunátegui 31, Santiago
Tickets available via Ticketplus
Prices: pre-sale: $5,000 | general: $12,000 | student: $5,000 | seniors: $3,000 | reduced mobility: $7,000

Artistic Credits

A co-production of Implicancia Teatro and Teatro Camilo Henríquez
Dramaturgy: Sebastián Carez-Lorca and Eduardo Fuenzalida
Direction: Eduardo Fuenzalida
Assistant Director: Paula Reyes
Production: Francisca Torres
Cast: Maite Pino, Francisca Celis, Agustín Ardouin, Matías León, Pedro León
Scene Assistants: Paula Reyes and Matias Saavedra
Comprehensive Design: Mariana Segovia Ruiz
Set Realization: Francisco Vera
Sound Universe: Y Vicente
Audio-visual: Vicente Radanari
Graphic Design: Valentina Madrid
Public Relations: Eduardo Fuenzalida
Press Officer: Sofía Oksenberg
Collage: Macarena Fuentes
Wigs: Carla Casali
Collaborates: Hecho en Chile Cooperative and Escuela Teatro Imagen