Earworm by Shualee Cook

Candles Out is a decade-old punk rock break up song seeking closure with five people whose lives they're entwined with in very different ways – Sasha and Jory, the two band members that wrote them; Trevor, the guy they wrote the song about; Elise, Trevor’s sister; and Kess, Trevor’s new music journalist girlfriend … who also happens to be the song’s biggest fan.
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Earworm

Recommended by

  • Kate Busselle:
    9 Mar. 2022
    “ As a movement specialist, I thoroughly enjoy and appreciate this play! Not only does this play showcase relatable characters, but also provides interesting challenges in terms of actors playing anthropomorphic personifications of songs! A beautiful story of how songs impact us and make us deal with truths about ourselves. Colleges and universities should seek this play out for production! ”
  • Lainie Vansant:
    16 Jul. 2021
    “ Earworm is structurally unique and poetically beautiful, but that doesn't begin to describe how it touched my heart to read it. Cook has created something both incredibly specific and beautifully relatable in this piece in a way that surprised and moved me. I would love to see this staged -- there is so much potential in Cook's design choices, and it's sure to move an audience! ”
  • Jacob Juntunen:
    10 Jun. 2020
    “ I got to see a workshop production of this show at Tesseract Theatre in St. Louis, and the script still sticks with me, just as its title suggests. A song weaves its way through a number of stories, with memorable characters, exciting representations of women and LGBTQ+ characters, and an ambitious formal structure that moves in and out of time with a huge payoff at the end. Definitely worth the read! ”
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The Song -nb, anthropomorphic personification of a punk breakup song
Sasha - femme, from late teens thru 30s, writer/main performer of The Song
Jory - trans femme, from late teens thru 30s, Sasha's girlfriend and bassist, musical arranger of The Song
Trevor - masc, from late teens thru 30s, music teacher, Sasha's high school ex-boyfriend
Kess - femme, late 20s - early 30s, music journalist currently dating Trevor
Elise - femme, 30s, Trevor's sister

Other Songs:

Track Three
Track Six - played by actor playing Sasha
Track Seven - played by actor playing Jory
That Other Song

This play works ideally with a cast of seven, utilizing an actor who can play drums in the concert scenes and perform the roles of Track Three and That Other Song. But in a pinch, with a pre-recorded drum track, it can be done with six, with the actor playing Elise taking on Track Three, and the actor playing Jory as That Other Song. But it's the author's opinion that a certain visceral excitement is lost without a live drummer on stage.

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    Campfire Theatre Festival
    ,
    2019
  • Reading
    ,
    Tesseract Theatre
    ,
    2018
  • Residency
    ,
    The Tesseract Theatre Company
    ,
    2018

Production History

  • Workshop
    ,
    Tesseract Theatre
    ,
    2019

Awards

Semi-Finalist
,
Princess Grace Award
,
New Dramatists
,
2017