THEME

If politics is a game of numbers: How many of us inside still think we are only outside of  The Asylum? Just how many?

SYNOPSIS

Robbed of his clothes, an unemployed young man finds himself near naked in the streets. Is this a coincidence if at same time a democratically elected government's sworn ridding the streets of mad people? A  political policy initiating countless unplanned journey to an Asylum filled with multi-character-inmates. Inmates  include a professor of English language and his volumes of dictionary, a fake pastor with two versions of the Bible, a guitar trotting rastaman, a musician-wannabe-moto-mechanic, a haunted political assassin and insane ritualist, and lots of others – all at the mercy of a politicised psychiatrist.

Time runs out but not injection shots increased by the days! For further funding more young men and women become psychiatric cases. Inaccuracy, inefficiency and embezzlement hinder  psychoanalyses. Psychiatric delusions are calculated with so much political intrigues. Is this the new dividend of democracy? Leaving a nation to figure the difference between inpatients and insane doctors? Godfathers and godsons? First ladies and hairdressers? Psychotic motor mechanics and bus drivers? How does one even explain the political intoxication of a political chief thug and endless quest for legislative powers? How?

PRODUCTION NOTES

Concept - The Asylum does not just break Nollywood rules, it has taken time to represent we all with inmate-characters in a unified psychology of  theme without distracting its audience. The style and content are married in a novel creative method of passing facts (content) through the vehicle of humour (style) to achieve a cross-over genre close to satire. The Asylum has since been acclaimed most sensible humour lately… (Jonathan Gibbs, FU Zeit -  Thüringen, Deutschland).

Casting – Three auditions were held (in Lagos, Enugu and Owerri) after a private reading (in Owerri) by the writer who doubles as the producer. Others were held by the co-producer, Emma Ehumadu and finally by the wizzy-kiddy director, Obi Emelonye. It was impossible to adhere to a specific shooting schedule because a real-life insanity actually caught up with the planning crew long before production commenced. Again, most cast members did not arrive camp on time forcing The Asylum into a nearly 17-hour-20-day-intense-non-stop-work!