Tonya Beckman Ross in suicide.chat.room

Absorbing but unsettling. That’s what kind of experience you get while spending roughly an hour inside the realm of the suicide chat room, where those considering hari kari discuss methodology and motivation, and even find a certain kind of support. But I’m not talking about going online and wading through the forums; Taffety Punk Theater Company is bringing the experience to you. With interpretive dance.

It all sounds a bit bizarre, but movement and dialogue interact with success in suicide.chat.room, which interweaves Paulina Guerrero’s choreography with actual lines taken from such Internet sites. The dancing provides a compelling emotional illustration, effectively articulating the tortured subjects’ feelings of imprisonment, their isolation, and their uneasy connections with their fellow chatters, with none of it ever feeling too literal. Eerie, pulsing music drives it all along, and the cast works more as an ensemble in service to the text than a collection of established characters.

The play’s lifted dialogue doesn’t come across as particularly didactic, yet still leaves room to draw conclusions and ask questions. The strange form of camaraderie that exists between the participants is explored: chatters often find encouragement – but it’s often encouragement to go forward with the deed. They may experience new friendships – but they’re not the kind of lasting relationships which could alleviate their severe loneliness. There is tolerance and acceptance, but at what cost?