Emmy Weissman (she/her) is a writer based in NYC. Her plays include Sugar (The Maker's Ensemble Short Play Fest), Motherf**king Girl Scouts (Fresh Fruit Festival), Glow Worms (Chain Theatre), and Mikvah Girls (Art House Productions). Her work can be seen in Smith & Kraus and Querencia Press anthologies. She is a '22-'23 playwright-in-residence with Art House Productions and a Tennessee Williams scholar for the 2023 Sewanee Writers' Conference. She holds a BFA in Drama from NYU. emmyweissman.com. . 

Glow Worms

Characters:

ABBY: 21, woman COUNSELOR JEAN: 26, woman, very over-enthusiastic counselor in training
SASHA: 25, woman
DANIELLE: 22, woman
SHERI: 23, woman
GLOW WORMS: played by the same actors as ABBY, COUNSELOR JEAN, SASHA, and DANIELLE

Setting:

A church basement, 2023

Dark stage. A gentle sound bath filling the space. The sound becomes more localized as the lights come up. We see the sound is coming from COUNSELOR JEAN playing a brass bowl at a domestic violence support group meeting in a church basement. ABBY, COUNSELOR JEAN, SASHA, and DANIELLE are sitting in a circle in chairs, holding hands, breathing. SHERI is laying on the floor, also breathing. COUNSELOR JEAN stops playing the bowl. There is only the sound of breathing. Then, suddenly:

COUNSELOR JEAN
(screaming) OHHHHHHH WASN’T THAT SO RELAXING!
…
Now…JAZZERCISE!

JEAN starts doing Jazzercise-like aerobic moves. The other women besides ABBY follow. SHERI follows from the floor with just her arms.

ABBY
Did I get the time wrong?
I thought this was the…
(whispering) battered-

COUNSELOR JEAN
You’re in the right place.
Come on!

COUNSELOR JEAN takes ABBY’s arms and starts doing the aerobics movements with her. She punches with her arms.

COUNSELOR JEAN (CONT)
You’re Jane Fonda, you’re Jane Fonda kicking someone’s ass.

ABBY
I thought we’d just be, like, talking here or whatever.

COUNSELOR JEAN
Nope!
This isn’t your mother’s domestic violence support group, am I right ladies?

The joke falls flat.

COUNSELOR JEAN (CONT)
Okay!
Home stretch!

COUNSELOR JEAN leads the other participants into a wide leg squat that turns into a crab-walk-like run. They begin chanting, with claps.

ALL (EXCEPT ABBY)
WE ARE BATTERED
Clap
WOMEN
Clap
HOT BATTERED WOMEN
Clap
DON’T HIT ME JUST HIT ON ME
Clap
HOT HOT HOT
Clap

They break the exercise and breathe heavy, giving each other pats on the back and sitting back in their chairs.

ABBY
So you do this… every week?

SASHA
Yep!
Danielle came up with the whole cheerleading thing.

ABBY
Impressive…

DANIELLE
(tosses hair) mmmhmm

It seems like that’s all she’s gonna say when…

DANIELLE (CONT)
UT Austin UCA National Champs ‘18, ‘19, ‘20

ABBY
Wow

DANIELLE
AND
’21

SHERI
You’re freaking her out.

DANIELLE
No I’m not.

SHERI
Abby, are you freaked out?

ABBY
Um, no.

SHERI
See? She’s totally freaking out, just look at her.

ABBY looks completely normal.

COUNSELOR JEAN
Okay!
Beautiful
Wonderful
Amazing
Spectacular
Let’s get started
As you know we have someone new joining us today
Abby
Or do you prefer
Abbision

ABBY
What?

COUNSELOR JEAN
Abbision, you know like your full name.

ABBY
Abbision?
Like Allison?
No...Abby is good.

COUNSELOR JEAN
Okay Abby!
Wonderful
Splendid
Splendiferous
Tell us why you’re here today

ABBY
Something kinda scary happened
Like a while ago and I never told anybody

SASHA
Why not then?

ABBY
I was watching Toy Story last night and after a while I was like oh my god the creepy neighbor kid with the braces-

SASHA
Sid

ABBY
Yeah, Sid.
I was like watching it and I realized he reminds me of my boyfriend.

DANIELLE
Oh my god…you’re fucking Sid.

ABBY
Stoppp I mean I was on an edible, but still.

DANIELLE
No totally it still counts.
Sid is so freaky.
Are you into ugly dudes normally, or was this a one-time thing?

COUNSELOR JEAN
Abby, why don’t you tell us what you came here to tell us?
Do you feel ready?

ABBY
Yeah yeah I think so.

COUNSELOR JEAN
Okay, everyone

The group gathers hands, while COUNSELOR JEAN plays a single tone on the bowl.

COUNSELOR JEAN (CONT)
Sheri?

SHERI
What?

COUNSELOR JEAN
Come hold hands.

SHERI
Do we have to?

COUNSELOR JEAN
I can’t tell you what to do, but I would really appreciate if you did.

SHERI scoots over to the last chair and gives DANIELLE her foot to hold.

COUNSELOR JEAN (CONT)
Go on Abby.

ABBY
It was only once
But
Ugh
Okay
(breathes) Okay
(like the sounds of a stalling car engine) hrmmmmm
Okay
(breathes) One night he was out with friends
Out later than he said he would be
And I was calling him and everything but he didn’t answer
So I went to bed but I couldn’t fall asleep you know cause I was worried
And finally I hear the door open and he comes into the bedroom and of course I start being like where were you?? I was so worried, you need to let me kno-

SASHA gets up and starts doing body isolation stretches.

ABBY
What’s she doing?

COUNSELOR JEAN
Don’t worry about it, just keep going

ABBY
Okay,
So he was like
Blah blah blah all that kind of stuff you know
And he was totally quiet like he just laid down
It was so weird um
And I was like whatever fine
So I laid down too and
And then
Oh god well
(breathes) hrmmmmm
He grabbed me around the waist and he started like elbowing me.
Like elbowing into my back
And then he started shoving

SASHA’s movements have become increasing distracting.

ABBY (CONT)
Okay seriously, I’m like talking.

SASHA
I have to dance when I get stressed, otherwise I freak out.

ABBY
Seriously?

SHERI
Yep, she does that every time.

ABBY
Okay that’s cool or whatever, do you mind just doing it like over there?

SASHA
Sure.

Sasha dances off to the side.

ABBY
Okay, I’m gonna finish now.

Beat.

It really hurt
I was like what’s going on
And then I started crying and I got up
And I yelled at him like you hurt me you hurt me!
And I turned on the lights
He didn’t look at me he just went to the bathroom
And he was puking
After a while he turned his head to look at me
And I could see how like
It broke him too
To see what he did
Like he couldn’t believe it either
He looked like a little kid um
Like when I looked in his eyes, he looked just as surprised as I was
Anyway
I took the dog out for a walk even though it was way early
Like the dog was still asleep basically but she let me take her out
I took her to the bodega and I sat on a milkcrate for like an hour while she played with the cat
They’re friends
Her and the cat
His name is Mr. Whiskers-McLovin’
It’s hyphenated
When I came home he was sitting at the foot of our bed
And he was um crying
He said he was um like so sorry
He started kissing me and I kind of just folded into myself

Beat.

And he promised me that it would never happen again
And it hasn’t he’s been good and everything
But I feel like I’m waiting, just waiting for it to you know
Like sometimes I look up at him and I know I should be feeling love but I feel afraid
Just sometimes
And I’m like
What would happen to our dog
If we split up or whatever
I don’t wanna lose my dog

Beat.

COUNSELOR JEAN
mmhmm
Is that everything?

ABBY
Yes

COUNSELOR JEAN
Thank you for sharing, Abby. That was really brave.

ABBY
Okay- thank you- just
(takes a deep breath and screams) AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Sorry if that was weird.

SASHA
(stops dancing) No, in my head I’ve been doing that this whole time.

ABBY
Okay, cool.

SASHA
Like right now.

SASHA stares into the distance. Beat. She comes back.

COUNSELOR JEAN
Okay, let’s come back

All join hands.

COUNSELOR JEAN (CONT)
Now you get to pick an adjective.

ABBY
I don’t remember what that is.

COUNSELOR JEAN
A word to describe yourself. A positive one.

DANIELLE
Make it start with the same letter as your name. That’s the tradition.

ABBY
Um ok
A…a…an…anemic
No
But it is true
Hmm…Awesome?

COUNSELOR JEAN
Awesome

ALL
You are strong
You are seen
You are awesome Abby

COUNSELOR JEAN
Danielle?

DANIELLE
I think Sheri should go.

COUNSELOR JEAN
I asked you to go.

DANIELLE
Ok fine.
I started kickboxing.
I think I might be in love with my instructor.
She’s a woman.

SASHA
Finally.

COUNSELOR JEAN
Sasha.

SASHA
Oh come on. We all knew.

Everyone nods.

DANIELLE
But I’ve never felt that before.
It’s weird I started kickboxing to learn how to fight, but instead I’m learning to love or whatever.
Or something I don’t know whatever.
Whatever.

COUNSELOR JEAN
That’s kind of a major breakthrough for you. Do you want to elaborate on that?

DANIELLE
Nope.

COUNSELOR JEAN
Not at all?

DANIELLE
Not at all.
And you can’t make me.

COUNSELOR JEAN
Okay!
Terrific
Fantabulous

All join hands.

ALL
You are strong
You are seen
You are daring Danielle

COUNSELOR JEAN
Sasha?

SASHA
I think I have something to apologize for actually.

ABBY
Never apologize for anything, you’re a woman.

SASHA
Don’t say that. I’m about to call you stupid.

ABBY
Oh

SASHA
Hang on.

SASHA pulls out a piece of paper and starts dancing again.

SASHA (CONT)
Okay
Dear girls,
When I first started coming here
I thought everyone would be really stupid
And some of them were
But they all left
And now it’s just the core four

SHERI, SASHA, DANIELLE, COUNSELOR JEAN
CORE FOUR!

SASHA
(to ABBY) Oh and you also
Anyway
(breathes) Going into this
I thought I was different
And that everyone else who got themselves into this shit was stupid but not me

COUNSELOR JEAN
You didn’t get yourself into it. It happened to you.

SASHA
Yes, yes right, yes
I’ve been feeling really bad for feeling that way
Because you’re all so cool
Well actually I still don’t know Sheri that well but you seem cool you just love being horizontal for some reason
Or Abby but you seem nice
Anyway
(reading) Life is suffering
Who said that

DANIELLE
Jesus

ABBY
Eminem

SHERI
It’s a Buddhist thing

SASHA
Yes yes! Eminem.
anyway
Talking to you all and stuff
It makes me suffer less
so

She folds up the paper. Beat.

SASHA (CONT)
We should have wine here. Why don’t we have wine here?

COUNSELOR JEAN
AA’s upstairs.

SASHA
Attractives anonymous, am I right ladies?
Anytime I go up there everyone is hot.

DANIELLE
So are we.

COUNSELOR JEAN
Thank you for sharing, Sasha.

All join hands.

SASHA
Wait don’t do the chanting thing
Please

COUNSELOR JEAN
Why not?

SASHA
Too Blair Witchy it freaks me out.

COUNSELOR JEAN
It’s in the pamphlet. Abby could’ve seen it in there and come here just for the chanting.

ABBY
I did not.

COUNSELOR JEAN prompts them all to join hands.

ALL
You are strong
You are seen
You are sensational Sasha

COUNSELOR JEAN
Sheri?

SHERI
(speaking to the ground) Oh god

DANIELLE
Here we go.

COUNSELOR JEAN
Sheri you can’t lay on the floor when it’s your turn
Again

SHERI
Why not?

DANIELLE
Cause it’s weird!

COUNSELOR JEAN
No no.
Well yeah a little
But no.
You have to be able to talk to us
Not the floor.

SHERI
But it’s so comfy.

DANIELLE
Waste of time.

COUNSELOR JEAN
Danielle.

DANIELLE
She’s been coming here for a whole ass month and every week it’s the same shit.

SASHA
Oo maybe she’s a modern dancer, they love the ground!

COUNSELOR JEAN
(clanging on the bowl) Ladies

Beat.

COUNSELOR JEAN (CONT)
Sheri, do you like Martha Graham?

SHERI
Who?

COUNSELOR JEAN
Pina Bausch?

SHERI
Oh yeah, she’s cool.

COUNSELOR JEAN
Okay.

Thinks. Beat.

COUNSELOR JEAN (CONT)
Art therapy!
We are going to do art therapy!

DANIELLE
Are you trained in that?

COUNSELOR JEAN
Sure, why not?
(turns to SHERI) Sheri, I’m going to give you paper and crayon and I want you to draw the first thing that comes to your head.
It could be anything.

SHERI
Okay.

DANIELLE
I wanna draw too.

COUNSELOR JEAN
Later.

COUNSELOR JEAN gets the crayons and paper and gives them to SHERI. SHERI starts drawing.

SHERI
Do you have pink?

COUNSELOR JEAN
No.

SHERI
Okay, but when I show you, imagine it’s pink.

COUNSELOR JEAN
Wonderful.

SHERI starts drawing.

COUNSELOR JEAN
Do you want bowl sounds while you draw?

SHERI, DANIELLE, SASHA, and ABBY
No!

SHERI keeps drawing. After a little bit, she lifts up her drawing and shows everyone.

DANIELLE
That’s a dick.

SHERI
No, it’s a worm.

COUNSELOR JEAN
What’s the worm’s name?

SHERI
Um
Arnold

COUNSELOR JEAN
Okay and what’s Arnold doing?

SHERI
He’s crawling through the grass
I gave him a little skirt too
He’s smelling flowers

SASHA
I don’t think worms have noses.

COUNSELOR JEAN
Sasha.
Okay Sheri that’s great that’s great.
Arnold is crawling through the grass and smelling flowers.
And it looks like he has these giant…mounds? Do those signify something to you?

SASHA
Yeah, are they worm titties?

SHERI
It’s supposed to be a necklace.

COUNSELOR JEAN
Okay, Arnold is wearing a necklace on his mounds. How do you think he feels?

SHERI
I think he’d feel peaceful maybe
Like happy to be smelling nice smells?

COUNSELOR JEAN
Absolutely
And how do you think Arnold would feel about you if he met you?

SHERI
Oh um
I think we would be friends
I hope we would be friends
I hope he’d think I was cool

COUNSELOR JEAN
That’s great, friends. Yes! I love it!
If you and Arnold were friends, how do you think Arnold would feel about what happened to you?

SHERI
Oh
Um
I don’t know
Sad I guess

COUNSELOR JEAN
What else?

SHERI
Um
Um
Um

COUNSELOR JEAN
Close your eyes
Put your hand on your chest
Take a breath
Everyone, breathe with her

SHERI
Okay

SHERI breathes, everyone else breathes with her.

COUNSELOR JEAN
How would Arnold feel about what happened to you?

SHERI
(after some time) Gross
…
Disappointed
I think that Arnold would be sad that things didn’t work out the way
The way they were supposed to
The way I thought they would for me
The way
…
I can’t

COUNSELOR JEAN
Just focus on Arnold. How Arnold feels.

SHERI
I
Okay
…
…
I can’t I’m sorry
I’m sorry

Beat. A rumbling sound.

SHERI (CONT)
Woah. Do you guys feel that?

ABBY
What?

SHERI
The ground just like moved
It like wiggled

DANIELLE
I didn’t feel anything. Maybe you’re going crazy.

COUNSELOR JEAN
Danielle take a lap.

DANIELLE
Ugh

Danielle starts jogging around the space, like she’s in Baywatch.

SHERI
Wait, I think it came from-

SHERI lifts up a tile and fully slides into the hole it leaves in the floor.

DANIELLE
Where’d she go?

SASHA
Probably for a quick walk
aka going to smoke weed

Beat.

SASHA
Counselor Jean, can we take our break now? I wanna go for a quick walk.

COUNSELOR JEAN
Yes, fine.

COUNSELOR JEAN leans into the hole.

Sheri?

The above ground world disappears and we are now underground. SHERI is in the darkness. Silence, then cave sounds. Slowly, the stage begins glowing with long blue strands of light. We are in a cave lit by glow worms. The glow worms are played by the same actors in the support group.

SHERI
Oh, wow!

GLOW WORMS
Hi, Sheri.

They glow.

SHERI
Oooo! You’re gorgeous!

GLOW WORM
So are you.

SHERI
Stop, you guys are too much!

ARNOLD THEE GLOW WORM inches onto SHERI.

SHERI (CONT)
Ooo you tickle!

They glow.

ARNOLD THEE GLOW WORM
It’s me!
Arnold! Arnold Thee Glow Worm!

SHERI
OMFG!! Arnold!! And you have a little skirt too!

ARNOLD THEE GLOW WORM
I know!!

SHERI
And you’re pink!
Literally-

ARNOLD THEE GLOW WORM
Yeah!! I’m a little sunburnt even though we’re in a cave…

SHERI
Is it okay if I lay down here?

ARNOLD THEE GLOW WORM
The ground is a little sticky, but we can make a little bed for you.
We’ll hold you up.

SHERI
Thank you.

The GLOW WORMS make a little bed under SHERI and she lays down.

ARNOLD THEE GLOW WORM
I think you’re really cool, Sheri.

SHERI
Aw really???
We just met
And I made you be a bed for me.

ARNOLD THEE GLOW WORM
Yeah!!! I still think you’re cool!!

SHERI
Would you wanna be like….
friends?

ARNOLD THEE GLOW WORM
Yeah!!! Worm high five!

They nuzzle. ARNOLD and the other glow worms start to lead SHERI in a dance that raises her up off the ground.

SHERI
Arnold I feel like I should tell you about something, I haven’t really said it before-

ARNOLD THEE GLOW WORM
I’m all ears.

SHERI
Do you have ears?

ARNOLD THEE GLOW WORM
Sort of.

SHERI
I knew it
It’s kind of a trauma dump, is that okay?

GLOW WORMS
Trau-ma dump! Trau-ma dump!

During this monologue, the glow worms lead SHERI through gentle movements.

SHERI
thank you
Alright
So like
This thing
This thing like happened to me
and
I think like pieces of me fell out
Like the sheer force of it knocked me outside of myself
Is that possible?
Cause I just don’t feel like
All of me is there anymore
thank you
I feel like the guy in the operation game who has all the pieces missing and can’t get them back into place right
Or I don’t know maybe just carrying the weight of everything like replaced what I had inside of me before
Like I couldn’t hold it all
And it just ate away at me till I was hollow
Sometimes when I look down I half expect there to be a big hole
Like people could reach right through
Do whatever they want
And I wouldn’t even feel a thing

A moment of silence.

ARNOLD THEE GLOW WORM
Nah.

SHERI
What?

ARNOLD THEE GLOW WORM
We’re experts at eating away at things.

GLOW WORMS
Yep yep yep yep

ARNOLD THEE GLOW WORM
And all the parts of you are still there
Trust us
You’re whole, Sheri.

GLOW WORMS
Yep yep yep
Sheri you’re whole!

ARNOLD THEE GLOW WORM
We can be cut into thirds
Where are stripes are
And three whole new glow worms grow
Isn’t that amazing?
You’re just like us!

SHERI
That is amazing but I don’t know I don’t really want there to be three of me
No offense
I feel like one of me is already a lot.

ARNOLD THEE GLOW WORM
Bones grow back stronger after they break, Sheri.
You grow back stronger.

SHERI
That’s an old wive’s tale.

ARNOLD THEE GLOW WORM
We love old wives
Like the Golden Girls.

GLOW WORMS
Golden Girls

ARNOLD THEE GLOW WORM
You can’t see how strong you are, but we can
To us, you’re John Cena.

GLOW WORMS
(wrestling announcer style) JOHNNNNN CENNNNNNNNNAAAA

SHERI
Wow
I love John Cena
He’s such a multi-hyphenate
You really think I’m strong?

GLOW WORMS
Yeahhhh!!!

SHERI
I’ve felt like so lonely this whole time
Up there
But you’ve always been here just under my feet?
Just wigglin around?

ARNOLD THEE GLOW WORM
Yeah!
We’ve been here this whole time!
Even when you made out with that Wiggle in college!

SHERI
I don’t even know if he counts as a real Wiggle, he wasn’t on the show he was just in the tour of the Wiggles Live: the Wiggles musical featuring the Wiggles.

GLOW WORMS
Fucking poser!

ARNOLD
Sheri
Wiggle with us
Whenever you get sad
Wiggle with us!!

The worms crawl on SHERI and tickle her.

They cover SHERI from head to toe.

They all laugh and SHERI’S silhouette glows.

Music begins to play.

They spin and spin

One big ball of light.

SHERI moves toward the door to the above ground world.

The worms slide off her, except ARNOLD THEE GLOW WORM, who stays on her finger.

ARNOLD THEE GLOW WORM
We are worms, born to form the angelic butterfly.

SHERI/ARNOLD THEE GLOW WORM
We are worms, born to form the angelic butterfly.

SHERI and ARNOLD wiggle noses. The glow worms lift SHERI out of the ground and she crawls back up through the tile hole into the above ground world. SHERI takes her seat and sits upright

COUNSELOR JEAN
Are you ready?

Beat.

SHERI
Yes.

DANIELLE reaches her hand out to SHERI.

DANIELLE
Stupendous Sheri. Welcome.

END OF PLAY