Produced by Playwrights Horizons Theatre School, NYC
December of '93. 
Directed by: Sara Louise Lazarus

Produced by Self-involved Productions/Big Quiche Productions, NYC 
December of '94.
Directed by: Tom Kiesche

Produced by The Nexus Company, Santa Monica, CA
Spring/Summer One Act Festival 2000.
Directed by: Kelly Connell 
Copyright © 1993

ELECTRON MOTION may not be performed or reproduced in any way without the written consent of Big Quiche Productions. 

Please contact us at Big Quiche Productions if you have any questions.
 
 

An attractive older female, a THERAPIST, sits in a chair as an egg timer ticks and ticks and ticks... 

A KNOCK at the door.

THERAPIST

Come in.

YUP

Sorry I'm late, got caught up at work. Oh, the timer's already going? Can I sit in the chair today? I don't feel like lying on the couch.

THERAPIST

Would you like to sit in the chair today?

YUP

Yup.

THERAPIST

Then feel free to sit in the chair.

YUP

Okay. 

YUP

How are you?

THERAPIST

I'm fine.  How are you?

YUP

Good.

THERAPIST

Good?

YUP

Yup.  Can I take my jacket off?

THERAPIST

Do you want to take your jacket off?

YUP

...to take my jacket off?  Yes.  Yes I do. 

YUP

There it's off. I feel better.

THERAPIST

Good.

YUP

So, how's your day going?

THERAPIST

Good.  Do you notice we're in small talk?

YUP

Yeah.  We're in small talk.  Sorry.

THERAPIST

Don't be sorry.

YUP

(overlapping) ....be sorry.  I know.  I know.  I have to stop apologizing. I'm sorry.

THERAPIST

Don't be sorry.

YUP

(overlapping) ....sorry.  Right!  Sorry about that.

THERAPIST

Don't be sorry.

YUP

Okay, I'm... Sure right.

THERAPIST

How are you feeling?

YUP

Good.  "I feel good?"

THERAPIST

I don't know how you feel.  What are you feeling?

YUP

What am I feeling?

THERAPIST

Yes.

YUP

You're asking what am I feeling.  I don't know, nothing. Something. It's nothing. My brain hurts.  I'm confused.  My chest is tight.  I'm lonely. You ever love someone you didn't know? Have you? 

THERAPIST

I just ask the questions.

YUP

You know what drives me crazy about this city... It's so hard to meet people... I haven't been on a date since I've moved here. Unless this is a date... I didn't think so. What's crazy is that nobody wants to look at each other. My only relationships outside of the gym, work, and you are, with the people that walk by me on the street.  I see a beautiful girl right, and she's walking right toward me, and I think, for a second, maybe she'll smile, maybe she'll talk... Maybe she'll stop and talk, maybe just maybe she'll want me.  But before I can even finish that thought she's right next to me, eyes straight ahead. To her, I'm not even there, not even there. But I feel like I'm in love for that one second, that one second, that one second of hope. I don't know anything about this girl, other than I want her to want me.  But I am in love...I can't explain it...  Then she walks by... I wait for about three seconds and turn my head to see if she turned around or stopped.  I can't blame her, the city's full of weird people. Maybe I'm one... I mean, who falls in love with people they don't know?  Do you?

THERAPIST

Good.

YUP

Good?  I tell you how depressing my love life is and you say good?

THERAPIST

What are you feeling?

YUP

Pissed.

THERAPIST

Where?

YUP

Where?  Where am I feeling pissed?  Here.  I feel it here.  I'm pissed off because I don't have a girlfriend, my sex life's in the shitter, my boss is an idiot, and I take shit from people all day long.  All I do is take, take, take, take, take, take, fucking take, take, fucking, fuck fuck fuck fuck, fucking shit from people.  I just want to ARGG! And take'em and bend'em and crush'em and RAHHHH!  I want to tell them to fuck off!  You know.  Just fuck off!  You ever feel like that?  You ever want to tell someone just to FUCK OFF!  No questions.  Right. Sorry. Fuck. I'm not fucking sorry, I'm not sorry. They call me expecting me to be there.  You know.  "What can I help you with?" "What seems to be the problem today?" With this big fucking fake ass smile on my face. I just want to scream GET OUT OF MY FUCKING FACE!!!! I don't normally swear this much.  I mean I can't.  Can't be a salesman with Klein Company and swear. No sireebob.  Can't do that. Can I have some water? Would you like some?  Didn't think so.  Thought I'd ask.  It's a good job.  I shouldn't complain.  I'm up for review next month, should get a raise.  That's good.  Right?  It's just that... I hate it.  I really, really hate it.  I just think of everything I want and... I don't know.

THERAPIST

What do you want?

YUP

Christ what do I want?  What do I want? You're asking me, what I want? You want to know what I want?  You really want to know? What don't I want!  I want....a different job. I want a girlfriend again.  I wanna family.  I wanna get married.   I don't want to get married.  I don't wanna family, but I do wanna a family.  See this is why I'm confused. I wanna family, but I don't wanna family.  I wanna girlfriend but I don't wanna girlfriend. It's too confusing.  I know I wanna be healthy. I know I wanna be loved.  I wanna be wanted. I wanna be great at something, I don't know what yet, but I wanna be great at it.  I wanna be comfortable. I wanna be comfortable looking at myself in the mirror.. I wanna be lusted after by ten million women.  I wanna like myself. I wanna like who I see.  No, that's crap.  I wanna be who I am. I wanna not have to work so hard. I don't wanna work.  I don't wanna. I wanna play all day, and get paid for it.  Play all day long. I wanna do something I wanna do.  And I don't wanna take shit from people. 

THERAPIST

Do you like yourself?

YUP

Do I like myself?  Yeah, I'm okay I guess.  I wanna lot shit, but I'm okay.  Sometimes I feel like I'm in the wrong body.  Like I'm in someone else's skin.  Like none of this is real, nothing makes sense, it's like I'm watching a bad episode of the twilight zone and the T.V.'s off.  You ever take chemistry?  What am I thinking, you must of you're a therapist. You know those molecular structures that you build... Those three dimensional shapes that all rotate around and around and around, with the nucleus in the center and the electrons are all spinning around a million miles an hour.  Well, I feel like an electron.  Like life is just whizzing by me, and I keep circling something.  I don't know what the hell it is... But I keep circling it and never get any closer. I don't even know if I believe in God!  Where the hell did that come from?  I went to Jockey Hollow last weekend, that's where Washington was and it was one of the strongholds of the Americans during the Revolution... Anyway, I was thinking, here I am in New York City, sharing a two bed room on the upper west side, and these guys lived in fucking cabins.  Twelve of them in each one.  No rugs, no phones, no central air. Just twelve beds, a window, a fireplace, and a roof.  And I'm thinking... I'm fucking complaining about my life.  I am complaining about my life!  I have no right to complain.  Twelve guys slept in one cabin on wooden beds, and I'm complaining.  Jesus we've fucked this country up haven't we?  They probably never would have fought that goddamn war if they knew where this country would be today. Christ!  Fucking governments corrupt, legal system doesn't work, easiest way to fame is blowing someone's head off or sleeping with the President or both.  Twelve guys.  I breathed the same air they did.  They kicked ass.  They were the underdogs and they kicked ass.  It made me feel like I could do anything.  Anything I wanted to.  That all I had to do is stand up and kick some fuckin' ass!  I don't know how I got on this subject... I'm sorry.  I was talking about my job, and... electrons.  Electrons.  Shit I thought of this really good analogy and... Anyway, I feel like an electron, I don't know why but I do.

THERAPIST

An electron?

YUP

Yeah.  Isn't that messed up?

THERAPIST

Why don't you show me what that feels like.

YUP

You mean here?  You want me to show you what it feels like.  It's like spinning, and spinning...

THERAPIST

Standup, and let your whole body get into it.

YUP

Standup?  Okay.

YUP

It's like spinning and spinning and spinning...

THERAPIST

Use the whole room, really feel it.  What does it feel like?

YUP

I just feel like I'm flying out of control!  Spinning and Spinning and Spinning!!!!  Flying all around.  I'm out of control!  Just being pulled and pushed with all these forces on me.  AHHHHH!!!! I'M A ELECTRON AND I'M OUT OF CONTROL!!!!  Just flying around!  Everyone's telling me what to be!  What to be!  AHHHHHH!!!!  I'm a electron!!!!!! I'm a electron!!!!!.... AHHHHHH!

THERAPIST

(overlapping) DO YOU SEE THE NUCLEUS?  LOOK AT THE NUCLEUS!  REACH FOR THE NUCLEUS!

YUP

.....AHHHHHH!  THE NUCLEUS?  I'm flying around the nucleus!  I See it!  I SEE THE NUCLEUS!!! 

YUP

I saw it.  I really, really saw it.  I saw the nucleus!  I have to quit my job.  Life's too short, I have to quit my job and do what I want to do.  I don't know what that is, but it's not what I'm doing. And I have to go back to Julie.  I don't belong here.  I belong in Ohio with Julie and my family.  I know it sounds boring, but that's where I belong.  And I need to call my parents, and my friends, and of course Julie, and pay my Visa bill, and tell my roommate, and quit my job, and get a reference from my boss... and... 

YUP

Times up.  Guess I got to go...

THERAPIST

Sounds like you have a lot to do.  It's been a pleasure being your therapist, good luck.

YUP

Good luck?  Good luck, huh?  Yeah, I guess that this is good-bye. Well...  It's been a pleasure.  So, I guess that's it then. I'll just go back to Ohio... 

YUP

Don't lose that sense of humor.

He REENTERS.

YUP

Do you think I can make an appointment for next week just in case I don't go? I mean, I probably will, but you never know.

THERAPIST

You can if you feel you need to.

YUP

Not that I'll need it.  I'll probably be back in Ohio next week.  Right? 

YUP

Right.