The Traffic
Signal Ignoring
Insects

Concept:

This work is a rewritten and restructured version of the play that Kaname Yuki of the Theatrical Company Aokirimikan originally created and won at the Japanese Playwrights Association's short play competition “Gekioh VI” in 2009. The current version was reconstructed and performed in South Korea as part of a Japan-Korea cultural exchange residency project. Using a traffic light as its central motif, the play explores themes of interpersonal relationships and loneliness in society, portraying the character’s inner thoughts through visual effects. The stage design is just simple: in total nine boxes arranged in a row, three each in blue, yellow, and red.

Actors stand on these boxes as they speak, moving from one to another as their emotions shift. They may step across boxes to show emotional wavering, jump to simulate blinking signals, or repeatedly move from side to side, like shuttle runs, to express indecision. As the performance progresses, the boxes show the different sides and gradually lose their original three-color identity.

The expression is highly physical, and in the Korean residency performance, actors from both Japan and Korea perform together, with dialogue interwoven in two languages. While traffic lights exist in every country, this piece draws on the uniquely ambiguous color rules of Japanese traffic signals, allowing it to resonate as a cross-cultural work. The performance is designed for venues that can accommodate audiences of 50 to 300 people.