Chisme Fantasmagorico | Gossiping with Ghosts

There’s no cozier place for cafecito & chisme than on the couch with your Tia Pantufla... and all the ghosts in her living room. Tia Pantufla (artist Olivia Jimenez) invites you for a cafecito in her sala, a cozy living room space where loteria cards deliver life lessons and storytelling becomes sacred ritual. She's invited the whole extended family and all the ancestors are coming (even the non-human ones), so you know the tea is gonna be hot and the stories might get wild. This immersive, site-specific piece invites audiences to explore histories of place and build community with kin of all kinds. Blending intimate conversation, ancestral reverence, and collective dreaming, this interactive event transforms everyday chisme into a portal for connection across time. This piece • is suitable for introverts, extroverts, and anyone in-between; • deals directly with difficult topics including grief, systemic violence, and possibly your love life; • is performed primarily in English/Spanglish; • can be enjoyed by audience members of any age, but those under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian; • has very limited seating with standing room available. If you need a reserved seat, please note that in your RSVP. If you have additional accessibility concerns, please contact the event host directly. Venue Information: 1/2 mile east of IH-35, between Chestnut and Maple Street. Conveniently located on Capital Metro bus route #20. Free Parking. This experience will take place in the Pony Shed in the yard of the Vortex. This space is not air conditioned and may present some accessibility challenges. If you have questions or concerns please contact the event host. Founded in 1988, The VORTEX was the first theatre to establish a home on Austin’s historically-underserved Eastside, laying the foundations for a blossoming arts and entertainment district. In 2011, The VORTEX’s Café was transformed into The Butterfly Bar. In 2013, we obtained a full mixed beverage license, and Patrizi’s Italian food truck joined our compound. In 2016, Sno.Co began serving shaved ice in our parking lot. Open seven nights a week in East Austin, The VORTEX continues to anchor a cultural hub, a butterfly sanctuary, dynamic theatrical productions, and a comfortable environment for deepening our conversations. Photo credit: Bessire Photography; Design by Studio Degler