On a stage at the Curtis M. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, Jim grappled with an issue many young adults face: cyberbullying.
About 260 people showed up Friday through Sunday for the Florida Players’ rendition of “Chatroom” to watch Jim’s character struggle with the issue, which has become more prevalent with the rise of technology use.
Although Jim exists only in the play, his story is real to young people dealing with cyberbullying in their everyday lives.
UF psychologist Roberta Seldman said cyberbullying can be even more dangerous than face-to-face criticisms and judgments.
“We’re all herd animals,” she said. “We don’t want to be outside of the group, and anything that puts us out there causes a very primal terror in us.”
She said fear, paranoia, sadness and suicidal thoughts are not unusual responses.
“It can make someone who doesn’t feel connected anyway feel like there’s no reason to live,” she said.
Jeremy Martinez, the 19-year-old UF theatre performance sophomore who played Jim in the show, said he knows what it’s like to play the part both on and off the stage.
He attended a competitive all-boys high school where he said he didn’t quite fit in.
“I’m just not that kind of person, so I was hit with a lot of... derogatory terms and a lot of bullying,” he said.
UF theatre performance senior Amanda Young, who directed “Chatroom,” said cyberbullying and teen suicide have been swept under the rug.
“Sometimes people don’t even realize that the things they say have a lasting impact,” Young, 21, said.
Young said she hopes the viewers will reevaluate their online communication and understand what it’s like to fall victim.
Martinez agreed.
“The way I see it,” he said, “Jim is a part of everyone.”
[A version of this story ran on page 8 on 2/26/2014 under the headline “Florida Players puts on cyberbullying play at Phillips Center"]
