sometimes, the darkest recesses of the computer lab hold the brightest gems. intensedrama productions' new show, teknobabble, is one such gem.

teknobabble is truly a Bay Area Creation. it combines interpretive dance and spoken word to pour out the watery espresso of modern society and expose its burnt dregs. star performer "Cola," the founder of the troupe, brought tears to several young silicon valley eyes with "my piece about 'Blah Blah Blah.'" the piece touched a nerve in its heartfelt, sincere expression of one young techie's dissociation from the world. "Blah Blah Blah" incorporated elements of technological frustration as well as themes of fall and redemption - except that in Cola's techno-nightmare, there is no redemption.

teknobabble's set is designed to resemble a computer monitor with eerie blue-green lava-lamp lighting, targeting exactly its twentysomething Retro-Hippie-Wannabe nerd audience. in the show's most poignant moment,lost, greenish waifs wander across the screen (er... stage), reading error messages in quietly desperate tones. jerky cognitive-dissonant grunts and screams of "SAMUEL!" bring the scene to a climax, and such error messages and reactions become a running theme. Samuel is their mythical god-like Sysadmin, but he is a wrathful god, and the source of much onstage angst. He, more than any other character, brings anguished familiarity to the audience members' lips. It's the "STELLA!" of the net.generation.

critics have already honored intensedrama productions, calling Cola "the messiah of the bay area Techie Angst scene." "she's like our kurt cobain," said one awestruck fan at monday's performance. "except instead of doing heroin, she does Caffeine."

"Cola" is the young artist's chosen sobriquet. "it's my Handle, man. it's like, a comment on the marketing to our generation. we're reclaiming the product. it's got all these themes wrapped up in it, with the caffeine addiction, the sugar rush, the staying up all night to geek your soul away."

also prominently featured in intensedrama's show is Pastor Dick's "sermon to Your Mom." Pastor Dick's set, titled "asleep on the Top Bunk," continues the warped techno-christian theme. The Pastor presented an irreverent comment on what he sees as the lax parenting of the Internet Generation. "the parents are asleep on the top bunk, while their children are geeking away their immortal souls. Pastor Dick is calling for you to put down Your Mom and pick up your children." The "sermon" references neo-freudian self-help fads as well as political corruption in mainstream politics and the religious right, without resorting to the heavy-handed hammer of parody. "there are lots of subtle references that you'd only get if you spent all your time online surfing," explained an audience member, still laughing helplessly.

will teknobabble bring its overwhelmed audience to its kness? they're already begging for more, as intensedrama demand they do at the end of the show - just before the performers, satisfied with their power, turn and walk offstage.

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