Asylum (COMM 4204)

University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
COMM 4204 - Producing for Television
Created & Directed By: Katelyn Whitehead

Asylum is a drama that will explore the vast inner-workings of the mind and the complexity of human nature. The show will be based in a mental institution during the 1960 time period; when the treatment for mental illness was on the verge of a major reform. During this time, new and powerful psychoactive drugs began to replace the
radical physical therapies developed and used since the first half of the twentieth century. Valium became the world's most prescribed tranquilizer in the 1960s. The introduction of these types of medications led to the rapid decline of the inpatient mental health care system in the United States.

The show will touch on the themes of human nature, alienation, social acceptance, and power. Although the show takes place in a historical context, all these themes are still relatable to the modern viewer. The isolation of the asylum from the outside world and major psychological subject matter will allow the viewer to see themselves within the show's context and bring them closer to the characters.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• asylum
• electroshock
• studentproduction
• universityofminnesota
• comm4204
• katelynwhitehead
• teresaphung