RED LIGHTS BY JEFFREY LO
ARIANNA sitting in her car at a red light.
Floating above ARIANNA’s head is a classic traffic light.
ARIANNA:
Red Light.
Every time I look.
Everywhere I look.
Red light.
Waiting for the red light to just –
Go away.
Go to green.
Go away.
Either way.
Yellow?
Whatever.
Just not red.
The light turns to green.
ARIANNA:
Go!
The light quickly goes back to red.
ARIANNA:
Shit!
How?
Why?
It didn’t even go to yellow.
It’s supposed to go to yellow first!
The light turns yellow.
ARIANNA:
Go!
The light quickly goes back to red.
ARIANNA:
Fuck!
Why the fuck –
I just want to –
FUCK!
I just want to move forward.
Is that so much to ask?
I just want to –
The light turns green.
ARIANNA:
GO!
The light turns red.
ARIANNA:
Let me go!
Why won’t you let me go!
One step forward.
Two steps back.
One step forward.
Five steps back.
Red.
Stuck on red.
All I see is red.
How do I break through?
Let me break through.
Fuck the red.
The light turns green.
ARIANNA ignores it.
ARIANNA:
Fuck the light.
The light stays green.
ARIANNA:
I don’t care about the light.
The light turns yellow.
ARIANNA:
Go ahead.
You are not the boss of me.
GO!
TURN RED!
WATCH ME!
The light turns red.
ARIANNA stares at it.
Silence.
Beat.
Silence.
Silence.
ARIANNA:
Watch me.
The stage turns red.
Silence.
ARIANNA:
Watch me.
The theatre turns red.
Beat.
ARIANNA:
Go.
ARIANNA stands and exits.
Blackout.
END OF PLAY.