Reviewed by Socks Whitmore
Outside In Theatre & Bottletree Theatre
Through June 17, 2024
In February, writer/director Kacie Rogers took to the stage as Maggie in IAMA Theatre Company’s world premiere production of Arrowhead at Atwater Village Theatre. Now just a few months later, she headlines in a one-act world premiere of her own: I Sell Windows, an autobiographical solo show about her journey as a young Black woman navigating grief, identity, and the search for purpose. Rogers plays herself, her therapist, and other loved ones in a turbulent retelling of how, after the sudden loss of a family member, she left her dreams behind to become a window salesperson.
The venue for I Sell Windows is Outside In’s Artbox Studio. The Artbox “stage” is somewhat unconventional, constructed from a sizable corner of the room framed by rows of folding chairs. The set consists of two different stools and a puppet theater, where Rogers’ story is brought to life through intricate sequences of shadow puppetry. The combination of 2D shapes, colors, and constellation patterns lends the show a DIY, yet vaguely celestial flavor. Puppet designer Brittaney Talbot animates character silhouettes, shadow landscapes, and full-fledged dream sequences with a striking use of blur and layering. This is most especially effective in the past and future dream sequences, with the figures of Knot and Moon, representing Rogers’ journey to heal her wounded inner child.
After a delightfully cheeky pre-show announcement, the play formally begins. Its approach to storytelling is fairly chaotic, briskly cycling among soliloquys, sales pitches, a two-way conversation with Rogers’ therapist, and a one-way conversation with her shadow puppet boyfriend. It takes a moment for the neurotic back-and-forth to settle/stabilize; in the first few scenes, Rogers seems less present and is at times overwhelmed by the sound design (James Ferrero), which feels distractingly loud and unfocused. Audiences are given little sense of the play’s direction as it shifts among pieces of her life story through a series of erratic emotional pivots, but the nonlinear set-up eventually pays off when the narrative comes into sharp focus around 30 minutes in. Throughout, Rogers periodically croons phrases from Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car,” drawing on its relationship to her grief — the deeply personal sentiment adds weight to the theatricalization of her loss, though the recurring musical interruptions take more than they give to the play as a whole.
As she reflects on her search for balance in life, Rogers recounts experiences with the entertainment industry, childhood bullying, regret, racism, ancestral trauma, and the struggle for self-worth. In a versatile turn, she portrays herself as a flawed, earnest human being, owning her mistakes and claiming her birthrights with vulnerability, authenticity, and conviction. The profound life lessons she has to share will resonate with many.
Outside In Theatre’s ArtBox Studio, 5319 York Blvd., LA. Sat., Mon.-Tues., 7:30 pm, Sun., 2 pm; thru June 17. https://outsideintheatre.org/i-sell-windows/. Runtime: 70 minutes.
Note: The play was first developed in 2021 through the Shay Fellowship, and is warming up at Outside In’s Artbox Studio before its international debut at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this fall. As part of their commitment to fostering dialogue and engagement, Outside In Theatre & Bottle Tree Theatre will host a talkback series on Tuesdays throughout the show’s run, covering topics such as solo shows, women in puppetry, and processing grief.
