asylum
a new play by pl krahnke
“Maybe everything I’ve ever loved about everyone is wrong.”
"Superb Design"
•
"What Momentum! What Pace!"
•
"Explode & Ricochet"
•
"Dark & Expressionistic"
•
"Neo Noir"
•
"Grande Guignol"
•
"Humor"
•
"Drowning"
•
"Ibsen"
•
"Superb Design" • "What Momentum! What Pace!" • "Explode & Ricochet" • "Dark & Expressionistic" • "Neo Noir" • "Grande Guignol" • "Humor" • "Drowning" • "Ibsen" •
about the play
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 demands, “Where will this refugee go? What will this refugee do?”, Anne, long exhausted from brokering peace between her warring husband and friend, retreats deeper into the numb refuge of heroin.
Caught between longing for family, nurture, and safety, she 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 David and Savannah’s escalating hostilities finally erupt into violence, Anne is left alone in a rare, unsettling quiet.
Now, the question turns back on her: Where will she go? What will she do?
why this play, why now
The world feels crazy, and no matter where you look, everyone feels stuck in something they are desperate to escape: Countries, friendships, families, marriages, jobs, poverty, religions, sexualities, genders, and on and on and on.
This play takes a closer look at what binds us, and the forces it sometimes takes to be free and at peace.
inspiration for the play
…an asshole immigration-lawyer boyfriend, and the realization that sometimes the good guys are also the bad guys — kind of like the USA.
Reading, Telling Humans New Play Reading Festival, 2025
Reading, Bramble Arts Loft, Chicago, 2024
Reading, Constellations Playhouse, Bloomington, IN, 2023
Workshop, Zoom, Audrey Sheffield, Director (Stranger Things, London), 2022
Reading, Pony Boy Speakeasy Theatre, 2022
Workshop, Zoom, Chicago Team, 2022
Reading, Chicago Dramatists Master Class, 2021
Workshop, Telling Humans Playwright Studio, 2021
Reading, Chicago Dramatists Master Class, 2020
developmental history
details
Drama with dark comedic undertones
6 Characters
ANNE 40-60 White; David’s wife; middle class heroin addict; childless; maternal; educated; kind; lost
DAVID 40-60 White; Anne’s husband; immigration lawyer; wound tight; whoever he was, he isn’t now
SAVANNAH / JULIE 40-60 White; Anne’s fiercely protective childhood friend; a culturally conservative, red, white, and blue hot mess; fakes (badly) a Southern belle, but is actually from New England; her real name is Julie but she has adopted the name Savannah
RAFIQ 20-25 LGBTQ+, Afghan refugee; he is the beating heart and soul of the play; onstage almost all the time, he is quiet, watching, reacting
JASON 45 inclusive casting; a mysterious, brilliant, curious man unfettered by personal, geographical, or national boundaries; wry; detached; kind; Savannah mistakes his attention for romantic interest
HENRY 29 Black, LGBTQ+; bartender; funny; straight shooter; takes care of people
TV ANNOUNCER VO Only; can be recorded or a doubled role
2 Settings, real or impressionistic, simple or elaborate, can be onstage at the same time
Scalable to theatre type and size
acknowledgements
Throughout the development of this play, the following individuals and organizations 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)
Telling Humans Playwright Studio
Goddard College, Vermont
The U. S. State Department
Thought as a System (December 2, 1994), by David Bohm
When you finally escape that crazy place between love and hate,
where will you go,
what will you do?
testimonials
“This play has many strengths, including the development of its concept around the word, ASYLUM, its superb design and use of dazzling and biting dialogue to reveal character, story, and plot, and the transition from cacophony to peace in the body of the play AND the [central] character .”
Austin Film Festival Playscript Feedback
“What momentum! What pace! Neo-noir. It’s dark and expressionistic with some humor there for good measure.”
Emilio Williams, Playwright/Instructor, Chicago/Paris
“The compartments hold things together until the pressure builds to a point that they explode and ricochet.”
J.S., Audience Feedback, Chicago
“Even though they spoke in a different language, you could still feel the emotion and that connection bonded everyone in the room almost to just zone out for a moment.”
E.B., Audience Feedback/Chicago
“I didn’t realize I felt like I was drowning…I'm 24, but I have been in relationships like this.”
G. S., Chicago Audience Feedback
“While this is a realistic drama with both feet on the ground in terms of time and place, there is a dreamlike quality to this play that wondrously communicates the emotions and experiences of the characters. Rich experiences lie ahead for actors and directors.”
Steve Nordmark, Playwright/Producer, Chicago
“Ibsen with a dab of Grande Guignol.”
Deborah Clifton, Actress, Milwaukee
“This is an exquisite piece with all the characteristics we hope for in a drama. What makes Asylum particularly unique is its ability to reverberate. We're hit not only by great empathy, but great anguish and fear. It's dark, but it's glorious.”
Kelsey Austin, Playwright, New Jersey
“I wish more people wrote plays like this.”
Goddard College, Audience Feedback