Chatroom

by Enda Walsh

The six teenage characters communicate only via the internet. Conversations range in subject from Britney Spears to Willy Wonka to - suicide: Jim is depressed and talks of ending his life and Eva and William decide to do their utmost to persuade him to carry out his threat. From this chilling premise is forged a funny, compelling and uplifting play that tackles the issues of teenage life head-on and with great understanding.

Genres: Plays, Theatre, Drama

Paperback

First published November 14, 2007

About the author

Enda Walsh (born 1967) is an Irish playwright born in Dublin and currently living in London. Walsh attended the same secondary school where both Roddy Doyle and Paul Mercier taught. Having written for the Dublin Youth Theatre, he moved to Cork where he wrote Fishy Tales for the Graffiti Theatre Company, followed by Ginger Ale Boy for Corcadorca Theatre Company. His main breakthrough came with the production of his play Disco Pigs in collaboration with director Pat Kiernan of Corcadorca. Since then he moved to London, where he has been particularly prolific over the past five years, bringing his productions to thirteen stage plays, two radio plays and two screenplays.

Winner of the 1997 Stewart Parker and the George Devine Awards, he won the Abbey Theatre Writer in Association Award for 2006. Productions of his plays at the Edinburgh Festival have won four Fringe First Awards, two Critic's Awards and a Herald Archangel Award (2008). His plays, notably Disco Pigs[1], Bedbound, Small Things, Chatroom, New Electric Ballroom[2] and The Walworth Farce, have been translated into more than 20 languages and have had productions throughout Europe and in Australia, New Zealand and the U.S. He has written two radio plays, with Four Big Days in the Life of Dessie Banks for RTÉ winning the I PA Radio Drama Award and The Monotonous Life of Little Miss P for the BBC commended at the Gran Prix Berlin. His commissioned work includes plays for Paines Plough in London, the Druid Theatre in Galway, the Kammerspiele in Munich and the Royal National's Connections Project in London. He wrote the screenplay of the film Disco Pigs and co-wrote the screenplay of Hunger which was directed by Steve McQueen and stars Michael Fassbender as Bobby Sands, the IRA hunger striker who starved himself to death in protest over British rule. Hunger won numerous awards (see below) including the Caméra d'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival, Best Film Award from the Evening Standard British Film Awards 2009 and a nomination for Best British Film at the British Academy Film Awards. He wrote an adaptation of his play Chatroom for a film directed by Hideo Nakata which was selected for the Un Certain Regard section at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. He is currently under commission for two films, an adaptation of the children's story Island of the Aunts by Eva Ibbotson and a biography of Dusty Springfield.

Reviews

[Ash · Rating 3 out of 5]

crazy ending

[Demi Ev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very much wishing I had read this when I was fourteen.

[Júlia Vilarim · Rating 2 out of 5]

it’s okay but it could’ve been better. it had some good insights and feelings about youth that i really like, but sometimes it failed to sound like it was teenagers talking

[Lee Maynard · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very important message which is current and will be relevant for the duration of this technology-driven age. A group of keyboard warriors- nameless, faceless and masked by a computer screen find comfort in antagonist William. All of the characters have their own insecurities, their own ‘issues’ and they use an internet chat room to blow off some steam and express their thoughts of the world. Enda Walsh emphasises the dangers of the social network in a play that has minimal set. Walsh’s themes are real and raw but some of his writing is dated. There’s times where he fails to put himself in the shoes of an adolescent. A great play nonetheless which is difficult to actually enjoy because of the nature of it, but Enda highlights the dangers of conformity and what can happen if a joke is taken too far.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I enjoyed this play, and I was impressed with the way it boldly discusses teenage depression. I can see a lot of potential in how the direction of a performance could take it even further. From purely reading it, the ending felt a little flat but I can imagine it being a much more powerful thing to witness than to read.

[Bart · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very thought provoking play, although I think I am going to have to either read the ending again or watch a staged version of it to fully understand. Felt a little bit rushed in my opinion. Regardless I think there is some really deep and interesting subject matter in this play and I am looking forward to re-reading as I use it for a school project. Another great play by Enda Walsh :D.

[steph!! · Rating 3 out of 5]

This script has an important message but I thought it could do without the slurs included

[Sean Og · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am in it 💪

[LaurenT Forget · Rating 3 out of 5]

Correct aussi. Cegep ou Tum. Mais pas mon 1er choix mettons. Beau défi de mise en scene parce que ya pas grand chose qui se passe.

[Jack Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this because I was doing my national 5 drama exam on this and it is a solid play

[DJ, · Rating 3 out of 5]

William stop being a prick

[Simon Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an interesting premise, executed in an extremely intelligent way. There's a lot of room for directorial interpretation which I really like. It's a little short though... But I guess that means it doesn't drone on? There's nothing unnecessary really.

I think some of the characters are a little too 1D and appear as devices for the story's advancement, however 1D characters aren't uncommon on the internet so I can let it slide.

The very last line pisses me off, but that aside this is a well written, through my provoking piece that shows off teen-angst but not in a way that makes it appear any less real. A play about teenagers, written for teenagers.

Jim's monologues are also EXCELLENT. They'd be perfect for audition material if someone was looking for some.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been wanting to read this for such a long time, well since I saw the movie and it finally came in the library today. It was much shorter than I imagined, about 50 pages. It was good but I will have to say that I liked the movie better which I never say, but it would be interesting to see a performance of this.