The Kiln

Characters

Lou: A man with a small frame and exhausted face, he speaks with extremely low energy.

Note: The role of Lou is written for a woman actor.

Ilson: An exhausted but high wired man.

Sam: A small pregnant woman, barely able to move herself but visibly strong willed.

The Warden: Mostly just a deep giddy voice, an older man dressed in a cobalt blue 50s era firefighter uniform.

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Background information:

This play follows The Warden as he gives a new guard (you) a tour of the prison. Prisoners work an array of jobs from mining, maintenance, and cement production while captive. Between his monologues Lou, Ilson and Sam are seen.

The stage is lit a dim dark reddish-orange. The set is built to resemble the interior of an industrial kiln/cement factory with several platforms surrounding the rotary. The movement of the tour is represented by the twisting of a large vertically centered rotary kiln, the 3 prisoner characters come in and out of view each time the kiln rotates.

We start with Lou and Ilson, a short interaction before the first rotation. As the warden speaks the entire room gets hotter, the stage emanates heat.

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SCENE 1

(Lou and Ilson crouch on a high platform, they
speak softly with great unfamiliarity. All
prisoners are dressed in fatigues which resemble
a mix of hospital gowns, orange jumpsuits and
modern firefighter uniforms with reflective
patches.)

ILSON
How is it? Down in the mines. I’ve heard it’s cool down there. Cold, even.
(His expression is mild but hungry)

LOU
No, it’s not cool at all. Our lanterns are hot, it’s like carrying a mini furnace on our backs. The temperature rises while we work. It can get so humid down there that some strip naked and work without clothes.

ILSON
But you don’t get burned.

LOU
We suffocate down there.

ILSON
But you never burn.

(Lou takes that in. He doesn’t like it.)

LOU
Well what do you do?

ILSON
I don’t work at all. I haven’t for a while.

[THE FIRST ROTATION. LOU and ILSON turn out of view]
[THE WARDEN SPEAKS]

THE WARDEN
Mind the heat, son, while you can. You’ll get used to it soon. The first days are the hardest, so pull up your hood if it gets too hot– but don’t worry about these vermin; they like it hot, don’t they? Yes, they must like it, the ones who don’t, they learn to like it. That heat cleanses, it burns away their filth. They need it, they’re covered in filth.

[THE WARDEN takes the stage, he strolls as he addresses the audience.]

THE WARDEN
We produce over 50,000 tons of clinker per day here, more than any other kiln in the western hemisphere. We house over 41,000 inmates, with a capacity for 45,000. But our turn over rate is about as impressive as our production rate. More than any other prison in the western hemisphere. (He laughs)
They each have a job to do and they’ll each do it right, one missing cog will bring even the most efficient, well-oiled machine to a screeching halt, you see. There is no place for misplacement, no room for rumination. Keep them in their boxes, keep them working, keep them moving. Without movement, they grow restless and so do I. (He laughs)

[THE KILN ROTATES 45 DEGREES]

THE WARDEN
We don’t usually spend too much time down here ourselves, the novelty of it all wears off eventually. You’re welcome to enter the factory floor as you please but you won’t find much to keep yourself busy. I like them well trained, I like them obedient. They keep each other in line and we observe from the deck. There are only a few things you really must see.

[THE WARDEN exits, LOU and SAM rotate into view. LOU is caught off guard by SAM, who slinks towards him from behind]

LOU
(In a hushed voice)
–H…Hey..! What are you–

SAM
(She hisses, out of breath as she speaks)
Sstop. sstop. Right now, don’t speak again or I’ll… scream. I’ll call the guards. I’ll call them if you don’t. Take me with you.

LOU
No..! No – I’m not a part of this! I can’t take you anywhere, I don’t even know where we’re going!

SAM
…Find out, find a way to get me out, do it. Do it or else I’ll call for a guard. I’ll find one.

[ILSON scurries from around the rotary]

ILSON
Quiet! Be quiet, are you insane? If you alert a guard, it won’t just be us who burn. You won’t get us all killed just for yourself.

SAM
You can’t leave… without taking me too. I’m not staying if anyone goes. I’d rather we all die then sit back… and watch someone else find freedom… while I suffer… Take me with you. Please.

ILSON
Go back to your station. If you get in the way, I’ll kill you myself.

SAM
(She considers)
With what…? Your bare hands? Do it, and hide my body too, I dare you, do it without getting caught. I said it’s all of us or none of us. Choose, quickly.

ILSON
(Fury grows visibly within him, he swallows it back down.)
If you slow me down I’ll leave you behind. Both of you.

[The kiln rotates, THE WARDEN’s voice is heard but he is not seen]

THE WARDEN
Every once in a while there is dissension among the stock, but it is quickly put to rest. Should you observe anything out of the ordinary, report it to an engineer, they will show you how to increase heat production in the main chamber. A swift punishment for many discourages misbehavior among few. There have been times in the past when extreme measures were taken to prevent chaos and disorder, ah but why focus on the negative? Rewards for good behavior are our star motivator.

[THE WARDEN takes the stage]

THE WARDEN
Water is scarce on the factory floor, we use a chemical coolant on the pipes as to not spoil the steam station workers. It keeps discord to a minimum. They are punished as a whole and rewarded on their own. Good workers know their place and the place of their fellow inmates, good workers are given a weekly surplus of water. Some inmates hoard their water supply, they distribute it among their peers or stockpile it for themselves. This is an unacceptable practice, drain and deny water to those who hoard, it sets a bad precedent.

[ANOTHER ROTATION, THE WARDEN exits. LOU, ILSON and SAM maneuver their way down and up the maze-like set.]

LOU
Once you reach the main shaft, you’ll want to crawl left until you reach the fan. It may take some time but keep left and you’ll hear it when you’re near it.

SAM
Ok. And then what?

[They both look to ILSON]

ILSON
And by then I should have already broken the valve, the shaft will fill with water, the auto sensors on the fan will detect an irregularity and stop, you will have a short window to squeeze past the blades and start climbing into the next chamber before the entire thing fills with water. Can you swim?

SAM
I haven’t in a while.

ILSON
That’s not what I asked.

SAM
I know how.

[ILSON walks ahead, leaving SAM and LOU behind.]

LOU
I can do this part, you don’t have to risk drowning.

SAM
I’d give anything to drown. I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately. How good it must feel to just be enveloped in water, all around you, inside of you, inside of your mouth and lungs and stomach.

LOU
I’ve never considered it. You won’t drown on purpose will you? Someone needs to enter the next chamber to –

SAM
I wouldn’t do it on purpose. I guess not. But don’t you ever think about your life before all this? I had so many chances to drown. I took them all for granted. In my home, years ago, I lived by the ocean. I sat in the sand. I think about it all the time. What was your life like before?

LOU
I don’t know. I don’t think about it.

SAM
Ever?

[THE DEEP RED-ORANGE LIGHTS ON STAGE FLASH ELECTRIC BLUE THEN RETURN TO RED.]

LOU
Well it’s been a while. I don’t really remember.

[They continue forward in silence as THE WARDEN is heard again, a more intense heat radiates from the stage.]

THE WARDEN
See, we believe in rehabilitation through punishment, we believe that struggle builds character, we believe in justice and retribution, we believe no bad deed shall go unpunished. There is a rot deep in the core of society, an infection that turns good men bad and bad men active. It’s not so much a problem of action among the evil, but rather fruitless action which leads to the destruction of society. The fruits of one’s labor are felt directly through productive action, the inmates are given the chance to contribute to a meaningful cause, they will never stall or falter so long as we are here to guide them in the right direction.

[They stop walking. ILSON turns to address LOU and SAM.]

ILSON
A very long time ago, before either of you arrived here, maybe it was before either of you were born, another small group challenged the kiln. They organized a hunger strike, with the goal of receiving an increase of 5% in daily water supply. The strike went on for nearly 30 days, until food stopped coming altogether. There was no warning, no announcement. No one received anything besides water, tons of it. The people were hot and wet and hungry. Within 2 days of the food cut-off the strike participants were beaten to death by their fellow inmates, and that same day food was delivered to the whole prison again. (Pause)
I’m not trying to scare you. I want to make sure you both understand. This is not something we get to try more than once. This chance has been given to us for a reason. There is total success or total failure. We will feel the breeze again here or in heaven, should we make it there. No mistakes, no hesitation. Sam, get in the shaft.