AZCentral goes inside 'Asylum'

ASU professors Rachel Bowditch and Eileen Standley’s site-specific performance "Asylum" premieres Nov. 21 at The Ice House in downtown Phoenix, and AZCentral was able to get a sneak peek.

Asylum is inspired by the theme of women, writing and madness, and is based on writings like Nellie Bly’s “Ten Days in a Mad-House” and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper.”

In this one-of-a-kind performance, audience members don’t just observe from a distance; they are “invited into the performance, free to wander the space to observe different parts of the narrative in an ‘immersive experience.’”

“A lot of my work is site-specific anyway,” Bowditch says, “but to create an environment that the audience moves through at its own pace is something I’ve wanted to do since I first saw Punchdrunk’s work – but without a $5 million budget.”

Be a part of the madness, 7:30 p.m., Nov. 21-Nov. 23 at The Ice House, 429 W. Jackson St. in downtown Phoenix. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased here. Bowditch advises wearing comfortable shoes and purchasing tickets in advance, as there is a limit of 75 issued per night.