Year 12 Asylum

What is real? What is reality? Ruth's imaginary

coffee? Illusion to the audience? Or reality?

Plot

1. Since the second fire incident, Doug has been admitted to a closed ward.
2. This has left Roy furious that Lewis has ‘let everyone down’ [pg 35].
3. While Lewis defends himself, asserting that Doug failed to take his medications, Roy backlashes, declaring that Lewis is ‘like Hitler.’ Julie proclaims that they can no longer perform Così because no one from the mental institution will replace Doug’s role as Ferrando.
   
4. Julie reveals that participating in the play helps to focus her energy away from drugs. She recalls one time after she had ‘just shot up’ [pg 37] and working as a hairdresser, she had spent 12 hours cutting a woman’s hair, and the woman had stayed put because she was ‘too scared that I was going to snip everything except her hair.’
5. Annoyed to see Lewis and Julie together, Cherry comments that Doug blames Lewis for his institution and plans to kill Lewis when he is released. Understandably, Lewis is uncomfortable to hear about his death threat.
6. A debate about a replacement play ensues within the group. Ruth is obsessed with the fact that she has already learnt all her lines and proves her knowledge to her fellow actors by performing various lines. Suddenly, in a moment of inspiration, Roy confirms that Lewis will replace Doug as Ferrando. Cherry feeds Lewis a sandwich even though he isn’t hungry.
7. Nick finally shows up, saying that the moratorium required lots of organization. He asks why Lewis hasn’t helped out, and Lewis states that he has been busy with the play. Uncomprehending, Nick says that he and Lucy ‘can’t believe’ [pg 41] that Lewis is directing ‘a work about love and infidelity’ and that only ‘mad people in this day’ would perform such a play. The group performs the scene where Fiordiligi and Dorabella discuss about how much they’ll miss their lovers. Nick stops them, instructing that Despina is urging the women to go ‘fuck any men you can’ but they want to ‘remain true to your lovers’ and that requires more motivation and emotion on stage for they’re ‘like statues.’ [pg 43] Shocked at the word ‘fuck’, Nick assumes a leadership stance within the group.
8. Even Cherry, who asks how many steps she should take, immediately agrees to Nick’s proposed seven steps. Roy continues to badger Lewis about his poor director skills and should learn from Nick. After Lewis shares an idea to have the men in contemporary Albanian uniforms as a joke about communism, Henry, whose stutter and shyness diminishes, becomes furious upon hearing the fact that Nick is a communist supporter, for Nick is undoing all his father’s hard work in the war. Lewis explains that he supports Australia, but not American Imperialism, but he and Henry are on the same side.
   
9. Henry then turns on Roy, who is shocked by Henry’s confrontation, and says that ‘Così condones the cccorruption of innocence’ [pg 48] but his ‘mother only llloved my fffather, no one else. He died in Kkkoreaa and she llloved nnnone else but me.’ Lewis, trying to calm him down, explains that he wasn’t trying to make fun of Henry by dressing his character as Albanian communist but it was just simply humourous since the play is a comedy. Henry starts to leave but Lewis blocks his way, proposing that they dress Ferrando and Guglielmo as Australian soldiers like his father. With agreement from Henry, the group continues, with Lewis firmly stating that Nick won’t be back to direct anymore.