That Almost Unnameable Lust

Rebecca Lenkiewicz

• Publisher: Nick Hern Books
• Year: 2015
• eBook ISBN: 9781780014494
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: British Drama
• Index: Literature

A writer holding workshops with older women in a prison finds herself struggling with the truth of their stories.

Rebecca Lenkiewicz's short play That Almost Unnameable Lust was first performed at Soho Theatre, London, as part of Clean Break's Charged season in November 2010.

THAT ALMOST UNNAMEABLE LUST

Rebecca Lenkiewicz

Characters

KATHERINE, a prisoner, lifer, seventy, slight, northern

LIZ, a prisoner, lifer, fifty, robust, from Norfolk

A SINGER/ A WRITER, twenty-five, from London

Setting

The action takes place in a prison and in the minds of Katherine and Liz. Katherine and Liz’s cells should be inhabited and quietly kept alive by them whilst other actions are going on so that we have a sense of them spending constant time in their respective cells. Their cells might be suggested simply by a floor plan created by yellow tape which delineates realistic dimensions of a modern prison. The room might be the same, yellow lines that suggest walls… or a crime scene.

Scene One

A space.

Night. A SINGER stands at a microphone, a flower in her hair. She mouths the words to a 1940’s version of a man singing ‘You Always Hurt the One You Love’ … A glitter ball lights the room. LIZ and KATHERINE dance, by themselves, within their cells, but as though they had partners, late-night, close, but to no one.

Scene Two

A room.

KATHERINE sits in a chair and makes strange, almost whistling sounds through her teeth… a bird-sounding noise, hardly perceptible.

A WRITER walks in. And sits down.

WRITER. Katherine?

KATHERINE stares at her.

Your Support Officer said that you might want to talk to me. Outside of the group. He said that you often write. And that you might want to show me some of your work. He said that you can talk but you… prefer not to. Is that right?

KATHERINE nods.

The WRITER hands KATHERINE a pad and pencil.

If you’d rather…

KATHERINE takes it and does nothing with it.

Does it hurt… Katherine? When you speak?

No reply. KATHERINE stares at the WRITER.

But you can hear me?

KATHERINE nods. She makes the bird sound again.

Scene Three

The garden.

LIZ kneels down. She weeds and takes dead leaves off a plant.

LIZ. You want some more light there, don’t you?

She looks up towards the sky, inspects the shadows.

No. That’s your lot. You won’t have no more today.

Scene Four

Katherine’s cell.

Sounds of metal doors. KATHERINE sits alone. She takes a cigarette out of a pack. Considers it. Counts in her head and checks how many are in the pack. She puts the cigarette back in the pack, perturbed that she has miscounted. The lights go out sharply.

Scene Five

A room.

KATHERINE and LIZ sit in a circle with six other women who are represented by chairs. A WRITER leads a workshop. The WRITER waits for LIZ to introduce herself…

LIZ. Liz…

WRITER. Yes… but with an animal. Like Lou just did. Lou… lizard. You say your name with an animal so that we can remember it better.

LIZ looks around the circle, LIZ and KATHERINE have a moment, undecided. LIZ can start a revolt and diminish the WRITER or not. She smiles. Slaps her knees.

LIZ. Liz… tiger…

WRITER. Great… and…

It is KATHERINE’s turn. LIZ nods, waits. The WRITER looks at her notes.

Katherine… something with a K?

Gina says, Ku Klux Klan.

LIZ. You’re soft, Gina. The Ku Klux Klan isn’t an animal.

WRITER. No… Katherine?

KATHERINE looks at her, can’t speak. LIZ nods… waits.

LIZ. Katie… kitten.

WRITER. Good. If that’s fine with you, Katherine?

KATHERINE looks down at the floor, cannot reply, she instinctively makes the bird sound. The WRITER feels awkward.

Are you… alright?

LIZ watches KATHER...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Contents
• Original Production
• That Almost Unnameable Lust
• About the Author
• Copyright and Performing Rights Information