Sauna

Description

Lizzie drips with sweat as she grapples with the malfunctioning controls of a sweltering sauna. She tries to find instructions on her phone, but voice control misinterprets her command and starts playing operatic music instead. Abruptly, a ringed knuckle taps on the window of the sauna. It is Davina, the rich woman who Lizzie works as a personal chef for. Davina wears a purple robe and sips on a drink as Lizzie pleads with her to call a technician. Davina insists that Lizzie is a wonder woman who can fix a sauna as easily as she can cook a meal. Lizzie is dying for a break, but knows she has to satisfy Davina’s demands first. As Davina leaves, Lizzie lunges to keep the sauna door open. She slips and burns her hand on the hot rocks. The crash jolts the sauna, and a green light indicates that it is fixed. Lizzie enters the kitchen, nursing her burnt hand and ready for a break. As she pours herself a glass of water, Davina calls her over to request her opinion about the redecoration of the kitchen. When Lizzie fails to show enough interest, Davina is irked and asks Lizzie to feed her yappy little dog. Putting down her water, Lizzie goes to the fridge and prepares the dog’s luxurious dinner. The overexcited dog jumps up and licks Lizzie’s burnt hand, causing Lizzie to drop the bowl and make a mess. Despite all this, Davina announces that she needs dinner sooner than expected. Lizzie realises she’ll have to race against the clock to make the meal on time and be able to finally rest. Davina goes to the sauna to relax while Lizzie frantically prepares a complex meal. As Lizzie de-bones fish and steams vegetables, Davina reclines in the sauna. Lizzie has four hobs going, whilst also peeling grapes. Davina slowly turns the temperature up in the sauna, utterly at peace. Meanwhile, Lizzie is hot, tired, injured and stressed, and it doesn’t look like she’ll have dinner ready on time. Lizzie’s hands shake as she hurriedly lays out Davina’s dinner. Just then, she realises she’s forgotten to make the green juice. In a screeching rush she blends the juice and runs it over to the table. She sighs in relief. But where is Davina? Lizzie switches off the fan and hears the dog yapping in another room. A seriously overheated Davina is trapped in the malfunctioning sauna, screaming Lizzie’s name. She drips with sweat and fumbles with the control panel, desperate to escape. Lizzie’s face appears at the window. Davina shouts instructions to her but they can barely hear each other. Lizzie tries to break Davina out, but it’s no use. Lizzie enters the kitchen on the phone to a technician, who says they’ll be there when they can. Lizzie looks at the heavenly dinner laid out for Davina. Realising she can finally rest, she sits down and tucks in.

Biblical Connection

Sauna is based on the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, a moral tale about reversal of fortunes from the Gospel of Luke. The teaching that it is wrong to hoard riches for yourself whilst ignoring the suffering of others feels especially relevant today, with wealth stratification reaching historic highs. Sauna brings the parable into this modern-day setting, dissecting the dynamic between personal chef Lizzie and her boss Davina. The heightened symbolism of the parable drew me to satire, and inspired me to play with the absurdity of the contrast between the two characters’ experiences. There is a ridiculousness to service jobs captured in Lizzie’s attempts to appease Davina, and Davina’s impossible expectations. Sauna turns the literal hell of the parable into something more metaphorical and subjective. What is hell for these characters? Is it just being trapped and overheated? Or is there something deeper at stake? For Lizzie, hell is her gruelling shift with no break. But it is also a lack of dignity and autonomy, and a fear of repercussion. For Davina, hell is the sweltering sauna that she can’t escape and that forces her to confront her own behaviour.