Asylum

by Kit Lazaroo, directed by Jane Woollard.

Despite the seriousness of the underlying theme, Lazaroo and director Jane Woollard bring a playful, absurdist quality to the work and provide plenty of laughs for the audience. The skill in the writing and in the performances is that this laughter does nothing to undermine the seriousness of the issues being raised; instead it highlights the absurdity of a system that has such a negative affect on all those who are caught up in it, whichever 'side' they may be on. So, whilst you will certainly find yourself laughing out loud during the performance, you will also find yourself thinking hard about the realities of the system once you leave the theatre, and these thoughts will continue to haunt you long afterwards.

When accepting the Wal Cherry award Kit Lazaroo said ‘I’ve been on a long and sometimes arduous road with this play. I probably would have given up on it if it weren’t for my collaboration with Jane (Woollard) and the promise I made twelve years ago to the woman whose story it is based on, that I would write a play about her.’
Theatre lovers will be grateful that Lazaroo fulfilled her promise of twelve years ago and, with her director Jane Woollard, succeeded in creating a theatre work that is absurd, bizarre, funny, moving and thought provoking.
Jan Chandler, Australian Stage Online, 27 February 2007

Cast: Glynis Angell, Tom Considine, Fanny Hanusin, Tim Stitz

Design: Amanda Johnson

Music/Sound: Peter Farnan

Lighting: Bronwyn Pringle

Photography: Ponch Hawkes