The cast of “For Closure!” (Photo courtesy Thee Photo Ninja)
ST. PETERSBURG | “For Closure!” made its world premiere at freeFall Theatre April 11, a must-see queer comedy that continues through May 11.
Acclaimed playwright Hannah Benitez’s piece is directed by freeFall Artistic Director Eric Davis. It tells the story of lesbian couple Raven and Amanda, played by Renata Eastlick and Sara DelBeato, as they try to keep the family real estate agency afloat in the small, Florida town of Gulfpalm.
When a villainous local politician threatens to disrupt their lives even more, the two must join forces with the mysterious psychic Camille Chevalier Milk, played by Tampa Bay staple Matthew McGee, also freeFall’s Community Outreach Director.
With the help of a motley crew of Florida characters, including a rapper, a bird lady, an exotic dancer, a handyman and an oligarch’s mistress, they might be able to expose the true nature of his threats before it’s too late. Rounding out the cast are Kelly Pekar, Glenn Girón and Francine Wolf.
“Personally, I love playing a character like psychic medium Camille Chevalier Milk,” McGee says. “It’s a great homage to Tangina Barrons from ‘Poltergeist’ and Rip Taylor from ‘The $1.98 Beauty Show’ (google it!). Hannah created this role for me and that is such a gift to an actor. This is one queer comedy you don’t want to miss!!”
Benitez got her start as an actor and musician in over twenty AEA productions, including six at freeFall. Her plays include “GringoLandia,” “Ashe In Johannesburg,” “Dike” and an upcoming commission for Island City Stage.
Benitez was, as she describes, “plucked from obscurity” by her now agent and manager. In 2020, she made the Kilroy’s List, a collective of women, trans, and non-binary playwrights, with her bilingual “Gringolandia,” which helped her get discovered.
“I’ve always been writing,” says Benitez. “It just took a few years for the people in power to take me seriously as a young woman.”
What inspired Benitez to write “For Closure!”was the lack of new producible farces, or comedies with exaggerated or extravagant situations, in the contemporary canon.
“It’s more female-leaning and balanced as far as gender representation goes,” says Benitez. “It’s more contemporary, it’s more queer, it’s very 2025.”
The play wright tried to steer clear of the detrimental representations that older comedies go for, which often don’t age well, such as writing female characters like they’re “beautiful idiots.”
“I try to steer away from all of that trope-ish, patriarchal point of view,” she explains.
To her, live theatre is important because it’s one of the oldest forms of storytelling we have. Benitez details it as reminiscent of telling tales around a campfire.
Working with freeFall has been an enjoyable experience for Benitez. She found that hiring the right group of people made the process of a new project easier. Their receptiveness to her ideas and sense of humor made it the perfect place for the world premiere.
View production photos below, courtesy Thee Photo Ninja:
“freeFall always loves bringing new plays to St. Pete! Especially comedies at a time when everyone could use a good laugh,” McGee says. “The fact that this comedy also celebrates the LGBTQ community in a joyful and hilarious way makes it truly special.”
“For Closure!” plays through May 11 on select days at either 2 or 7 p.m. at freeFall Theatre, located at 6099 Central Ave. in St. Petersburg. Tickets, subscriptions and more information can be found at freeFallTheatre.com.
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