Theater in Asylum makes rigorously-researched, ensemble-driven theater to challenge and empower. We prize the theater as a space — as an asylum — where we can process and question, where reality is temporarily suspended, and where we can create with joy. Since 2010, Theater in Asylum has brought New York artists and not-yet-artists together to read, research, devise, and perform politically charged, of-the-moment new plays.What do we mean by asylum?In the theater, we can suspend the pressures and preconceptions of our lives, and of reality itself. Our name is inspired by the idea of asylum as a space of refuge. For us, asylum is in the phrase “suspend your disbelief.” In our asylum, we have the space to question the past, interpret the present, and imagine a future. This empowers us to re-enter reality better prepared to change it.Our Work and ProcessOur work stems from confounding realities and contradictions that we can’t stop thinking about. We embrace a trifecta of historical context, political questions, and the lives of artists. Each major project graduates through three principal stages:Cold Readings: unrehearsed play readings and discussions for research Cabarets: where our new work is tried out alongside new work by fellow artists in our extended networkProductions: the final synthesis of our workAlongside these major stages we host numerous book clubs, research gatherings, group trips to the theater, and seasonal parties.Learn more at theaterinasylum.com