An Exceptionally Dark Comedy in Twelve Scenes

VISIT https://asylumtheplay.com

LOGLINE

A woman trapped in her own home and a refugee with nowhere else to go long for the same thing: the freedom to live an authentic life in a safe place.

SYNOPSIS

Anne’s husband, David, an immigration lawyer whose narcissism and cruelty have hollowed their marriage, has taken in Rafiq, a young Afghan refugee seeking sanctuary in their cramped New York apartment.

His presence ignites the suspicions of Anne’s fiercely loyal childhood friend Savannah, a meddling, bigoted free spirit whose every visit is a spark tossed onto dry tinder.

As Savannah warns, “Where will this refugee go? What will this refugee do?”, Anne, long exhausted from brokering peace between her warring husband and friend, retreats into the numb refuge of heroin.

She also retreats to Nirvana, the dive bar across the street, where she and Savannah are entertained and challenged by Jamari, the play's warm and funny bartender and wannabe actor. Jamari is Brown and LGBTQ+, navigating his own precarious life in a city that largely ignores him.

The play holds Jamari and Rafiq— one fleeing state violence, one managing quieter, everyday marginalization — in a kind of silent solidarity.

Caught between longing for family, nurture, and safety, Anne discovers an unexpected gentleness in Rafiq, the mysterious boy who sleeps on her sofa and prays softly in her living room, offering the first flicker of solace she has felt in years.

When the mysterious Jason arrives, his easy multilingualism and curiosity offers Anne a glimmer of hope, suggesting that borders — national, cultural, personal — are navigable when met with openness.

Finally, David and Savannah’s escalating hostilities erupt into violence.

When Anne sees the aftermath, she is torn between helping them live -- or letting them die. When she makes her decision, the question turns back on her:

Where will she go? What will she do?

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Throughout the development of this play, in readings and workshops, the following individuals have played important roles in getting it right:

Humaira Ghilzai, Afghan Cultural Consultant (The Kite Runner, Broadway)
Emilio Williams, Playwright, Essayist, Educator, Chicago/Paris (!Bernarda!, Steppenwolf 1700 Theatre, Chicago)
Will Dunne, Instructor, Scene Work, Chicago Dramatist
Kate Hendrickson, Director, Trap Door Theatre
Carson Grace Becker, Dramaturgy
Audrey Sheffield, Director, (Stranger Things, London, UK)
Telling Humans Playwright Studio
Goddard College, Vermont