Jungle play explores real-world consequences of virtual-reality actions

Virtual reality is no longer a dream of the future — it's here. And as virtual gaming and interactions continue to become more lifelike, new ethical dilemmas will present themselves.

A new play at the Jungle Theater in Minneapolis tackles one of them. Namely, if you commit a crime in the virtual world — in which there is no real victim — are you still guilty?

In the play's vision of a not-so-distant future, the world's environment has deteriorated significantly and the internet has grown steadily into what is now known as The Nether. It's a virtual world where kids go to school, parents go to work and many people choose to increasingly spend their free time. Some choose to never leave — their real bodies subsist on life support.

"But really, Mr. Sims — an average of 14 hours a day in The Nether?" asks one character of another. "What can be gained by spending so much time in something that isn't real?"

"Just because it's virtual doesn't mean it isn't real," he replies.

Much of the play takes place not in The Nether, but in a sparse interrogation room in the real world. Playwright Jennifer Haley says she's fascinated with virtual reality. She set out to create a story that challenged the limits of what it can or should do.

"What's something we don't want anyone doing, even if it's online?" she said. "Which led me to, well, what if it's pedophilia? And then I thought, but what if no one actually involved is a child?"

The story revolves around one particular realm in the virtual world, called "The Hideaway." There, people can indulge their fantasies. Everyone who participates is an adult, even if their avatar doesn't look like one.

Director Casey Stangl says that, at its core, "The Nether" is both a thriller and a play of ideas.

"What in fact is reality?" she asked. "If we feel certain sensations while we've got one of those glasses on, or we're hooked up like 'The Matrix' to another environment, is that real? Is the chair that we're sitting in real?"

The play's characters explore those questions. "It doesn't matter whether you kill a boar or a demon, have sex with a child or an elf," says one. "It's nothing but images! And there is no consequence!"

Another counters, "Images create reality. Everything around us — our houses, our bridges, our wars, our peace treaties — began as a figment in someone's mind before becoming a physical or social fact."

Stangl said, "When I read the play or when I watch it, I find myself agreeing with one character. And then another character presents another side of the argument and I think, 'Oh, I agree with that, too!' So I hope that there's a sense of realizing that there's no real easy answer here, and that both sides of the debate have a point."

Stangl says one of the key questions the play asks is "is there such a thing as a life without consequence?"

For playwright Jennifer Haley, there are no easy answers to the questions posed in "The Nether."

"We strive so hard for certainty and absolutes because it gives us a sense of security," she said. "And yet I guess one of the main questions I'd like people to ask are, 'Is there such a thing as an absolute?'"

It might seem odd to choose to tell a story about virtual reality on a theater stage, but Haley says the two worlds are not so different. Actors are essentially putting on avatars. And the characters of "The Nether" are all broken in their own way, which is part of what makes them so relatable.

Stangl said there is a strong emotional undercurrent throughout the play:

"Ultimately, we are still in our DNA hardwired to want to connect with each other as human beings and ultimately the play has a sort of longing and a tenderness around that subject," she said. "That is ultimately what we want. We want to be loved."

"The Nether" opens Saturday night at the Jungle Theater in Minneapolis. It runs through Oct. 15.