On Tuesday, September 6, TeatRUM, Colegio’s oldest theater association, delivered a performance about suicide as a means to raise awareness about the topic. This idea was first brought up at a directive meeting, when members mentioned a report about the increase of suicides happening in Puerto Rico. Krystal Romero, TeatRUM’s Director of Performances, said, “we thought it was an important topic, one that needed to be open to conversation because many people have been linked to it in some way.”
The performance was the first of the semester, and TeatRUM’s first ever performance on the subject of suicide. Krystal also mentioned it was the first performance she was in charge of as well, but one she couldn’t have done without the help of other “TeatRUMitas.” She was “anxious to witness how the ‘TeatRUMitas’ would perform and how the audience would react as well.” These theater pieces featured the participation of Iván Martínez, Luis Germán, Joar Santos, Adriana Nadal and Luis González. Each represented different people who committed suicide, from slitting their wrists to jumping off a building—a situation that happened some years ago at the university. About the message they were delivering, Krystal expressed, “we wanted to create an impact, a call for attention to make people aware of situations that are often left out of the light. Suicide shouldn’t be a taboo, but rather a topic to speak about. I don’t want to listen to another suicide act referred as a misfortune on the news.” The performers also had signs with negative comments, like “I’m not good enough,” which were flipped over at the end of the performance, revealing messages like “My life is worth it,” among other positive remarks. Members from the association also handed pamphlets, courtesy of Calidad de Vida, to the audience, about suicide and how to prevent it.
While there has been ongoing positive and negative feedback about the performance, Krystal is, overall, satisfied. She knew people were going to have different reactions to it. “The point is that it’s being talked about, which was one of our objectives.” Awareness, that was the message to deliver and the goal they set to achieve. After all, the performance’s purpose was to present a subject that is not often talked about and creating consciousness about it; especially on campus, where the issue has been ignored.
TeatRUM’s performance combined the theatrical arts with a huge, and somewhat controversial issue, especially nowadays. Suicide is an important topic. The subject is, indeed, sensitive and morbid, which is why it should be brought up. Be aware of those around you; their words, expressions, and behaviors may be sending a message for help.