diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/chat/ChatMessageHandler.java b/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/chat/ChatMessageHandler.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..95d0a2c38
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/chat/ChatMessageHandler.java
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+//
+// $Id: ChatMessageHandler.java,v 1.1 2001/08/03 02:14:41 mdb Exp $
+
+package com.threerings.cocktail.party.chat;
+
+import com.threerings.cocktail.cher.dobj.MessageEvent;
+
+import com.threerings.cocktail.party.Log;
+import com.threerings.cocktail.party.data.BodyObject;
+import com.threerings.cocktail.party.data.PlaceObject;
+import com.threerings.cocktail.party.server.PartyServer;
+import com.threerings.cocktail.party.server.PlaceManager;
+
+/**
+ * The chat message handler handles chat messages that are issued on a
+ * place object with the intention of speaking to everyone in that place.
+ */
+public class ChatMessageHandler implements PlaceManager.MessageHandler
+{
+    public void handleEvent (MessageEvent event, PlaceObject target)
+    {
+        // presently we do no ratification of chat messages, so we just
+        // generate a chat notification with the message and name of the
+        // speaker
+        int soid = event.getSourceOid();
+        BodyObject source = (BodyObject)PartyServer.omgr.getObject(soid);
+        if (source == null) {
+            Log.info("Chatter went away. Dropping chat request " +
+                     "[req=" + event + "].");
+            return;
+        }
+
+        // parse our incoming arguments
+        Object[] inargs = event.getArgs();
+        int reqid = ((Integer)inargs[0]).intValue();
+        String message = (String)inargs[1];
+
+        // and generate a chat notification
+        Object[] outargs = new Object[] { source.username, message };
+        MessageEvent nevt = new MessageEvent(
+            target.getOid(), ChatService.SPEAK_NOTIFICATION, outargs);
+        PartyServer.omgr.postEvent(nevt);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/chat/client/ChatDirector.java b/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/chat/client/ChatDirector.java
index 18c891006..37b797e33 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/chat/client/ChatDirector.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/chat/client/ChatDirector.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 //
-// $Id: ChatDirector.java,v 1.2 2001/08/02 23:47:21 mdb Exp $
+// $Id: ChatDirector.java,v 1.3 2001/08/03 02:14:41 mdb Exp $
 
 package com.threerings.cocktail.party.chat;
 
@@ -61,11 +61,23 @@ public class ChatManager
      *
      * @return an id which can be used to coordinate this speak request
      * with the response that will be delivered to all active chat
-     * displays when it arrives.
+     * displays when it arrives, or -1 if we were unable to make the
+     * request because we are not currently in a place.
      */
     public int requestSpeak (String message)
     {
-        return -1;
+        // make sure we're currently in a place
+        if (_place == null) {
+            return -1;
+        }
+
+        // dispatch a speak request on the active place object
+        int reqid = _ctx.getClient().getInvocationManager().nextInvocationId();
+        Object[] args = new Object[] { new Integer(reqid), message };
+        MessageEvent mevt = new MessageEvent(
+            _place.getOid(), ChatService.SPEAK_REQUEST, args);
+        _ctx.getDObjectManager().postEvent(mevt);
+        return reqid;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -139,6 +151,12 @@ public class ChatManager
     {
         String speaker = (String)args[0];
         String message = (String)args[1];
+
+        // pass this on to our chat displays
+        for (int i = 0; i < _displays.size(); i++) {
+            ChatDisplay display = (ChatDisplay)_displays.get(i);
+            display.displaySpeakMessage(speaker, message);
+        }
     }
 
     protected PartyContext _ctx;
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/data/BodyObject.dobj b/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/data/BodyObject.dobj
index 666b84081..f55b02706 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/data/BodyObject.dobj
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/data/BodyObject.dobj
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 //
-// $Id: BodyObject.dobj,v 1.1 2001/07/20 20:07:37 mdb Exp $
+// $Id: BodyObject.dobj,v 1.2 2001/08/03 02:14:41 mdb Exp $
 
 package com.threerings.cocktail.party.data;
 
@@ -7,4 +7,16 @@ import com.threerings.cocktail.cher.data.ClientObject;
 
 public class BodyObject extends ClientObject
 {
+    /** The field name of the <code>username</code> field. */
+    public static final String USERNAME = "username";
+
+    /**
+     * The username associated with this body object.
+     */
+    public String username;
+
+    public void setUsername (String username)
+    {
+        requestAttributeChange(USERNAME, username);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/server/PlaceManager.java b/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/server/PlaceManager.java
index 0a7fbb40c..97430c523 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/server/PlaceManager.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/server/PlaceManager.java
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 //
-// $Id: PlaceManager.java,v 1.5 2001/08/01 20:37:35 mdb Exp $
+// $Id: PlaceManager.java,v 1.6 2001/08/03 02:14:41 mdb Exp $
 
 package com.threerings.cocktail.party.server;
 
+import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.Properties;
 
 import com.threerings.cocktail.cher.dobj.*;
@@ -31,7 +32,7 @@ import com.threerings.cocktail.party.data.PlaceObject;
  * protected void didShutdown ()
  * </pre>
  *
- * as well as through additions to <code>handlEvent</code>.
+ * as well as through additions to <code>handleEvent</code>.
  */
 public class PlaceManager implements Subscriber
 {
@@ -75,6 +76,23 @@ public class PlaceManager implements Subscriber
     {
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Registers a particular message handler instance to be used when
+     * processing message events with the specified name.
+     *
+     * @param name the message name of the message events that should be
+     * handled by this handler.
+     * @param handler the handler to be registered.
+     */
+    public void registerMessageHandler (String name, MessageHandler handler)
+    {
+        // create our handler map if necessary
+        if (_msghandlers == null) {
+            _msghandlers = new HashMap();
+        }
+        _msghandlers.put(name, handler);
+    }
+
     /**
      * Returns the place object managed by this place manager.
      */
@@ -99,9 +117,36 @@ public class PlaceManager implements Subscriber
      */
     public boolean handleEvent (DEvent event, DObject target)
     {
+        // if this is a message event, see if we have a handler for it
+        if (event instanceof MessageEvent) {
+            MessageEvent mevt = (MessageEvent)event;
+            MessageHandler handler = (MessageHandler)
+                _msghandlers.get(mevt.getName());
+            if (handler != null) {
+                handler.handleEvent(mevt, (PlaceObject)target);
+            }
+        }
+
         return true;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * An interface used to allow the registration of standard message
+     * handlers to be invoked by the place manager when particular types
+     * of message events are received.
+     */
+    protected static interface MessageHandler
+    {
+        /**
+         * Invokes this message handler on the supplied event.
+         *
+         * @param event the message event received.
+         * @param target the place object on which the message event was
+         * received.
+         */
+        public void handleEvent (MessageEvent event, PlaceObject target);
+    }
+
     /** A reference to the place object that we manage. */
     protected PlaceObject _plobj;
 
@@ -110,4 +155,7 @@ public class PlaceManager implements Subscriber
 
     /** The configuration provided for this place manager. */
     protected Properties _config;
+
+    /** Message handlers are used to process message events. */
+    protected HashMap _msghandlers;
 }