Kacie Rogers, a two-time NAACP-Award-winning performer and writer, is set to bring her compelling one-woman show, I Sell Windows, to the Edinburgh Fringe.
This play, which explores the intersection of grief, ambition, and identity, promises to be a thought-provoking experience for audiences.In this exclusive interview, Kacie discusses the personal inspirations behind the show, the unique use of shadow puppetry, and the challenges of performing a solo piece.
I Sell Windows will be performed at Assembly George Square Studios from August 1st to 25th (excluding August 7th and 13th). Tickets are available now.
You’re bringing “I Sell Windows” to Assembly George Square Studios at Edinburgh Fringe. What can you tell us about the show?
I always say that the best way to experience I Sell Windows is to know nothing about it at all and go in with an open heart. But, to give you a little peek into what it’s about, the show is ultimately a young black woman’s existential journey through a sudden loss, and navigating the intricate interplay of grief, identity, and newfound purpose, all while being a window salesman.
The show explores themes of grief, ambition and sex. Can you elaborate on how these themes are woven into the story?
The story is an excavation of self. It constantly asks what one part of self means about the other and why. Much like a long train of thought, I can be talking about grief and say one word that triggers another thought web about ambition. I can be talking about ambition – a deep and relentless desire for something – and easily be swung into a thought pattern about sex. I think the show honours the messiness of life and the often unexplored corners of our own brains in the way it presents the themes.
You both wrote and perform this solo show. What inspired you to create “I Sell Windows” and what was the development process like?
In 2021 I received the Shay Fellowship through Free The Arts which was a fellowship where I was given the opportunity to write a solo show in a little under a year. I knew that my approach to writing a show would always be to say the scariest things I could think of on stage. I also knew that in order to do that, I would need a collaborator who understood me as a human being as well as an artist and who was a visionary so that the piece would remain grounded while honoring the nonlinear storytelling structure. Jaquita Ta’le was my answered prayer. Together we went through draft after draft until we found what I was really trying to say in the work. It was a breaking of something into something else. I learned so much about myself and I still do each time I perform the show.
The show incorporates shadow puppetry designed by Brittaney Talbot. How does this visual element enhance the storytelling?
Brittaney Talbot is an absolute genius and her specificity brings the audience into my world without them having to work so hard for it. It’s one thing to watch me experience the world, its another entirely for you to be in it with me. I think Brittaney’s work offers a full immersion for the audience which is a gift for them as well as me as the storyteller.
As a two-time NAACP Award-winning performer, how does your previous experience inform your approach to this production?
For the most part I think my previous experience has given me the stamina to finally do a solo show. But really, this piece requires something different from me than any other. Or rather – the same things but on a different level. I’ve had to go deeper with my body work, voice work, and honesty in my performances to do this show the way I believe it needs to be done. My previous work definitely laid a strong foundation of those tools that I’ve been able to grow for this show.
What would you say to anyone thinking of booking to see “I Sell Windows”?
Prepare to come spend an hour with me with zero expectations of how you’re “supposed” to feel. Just go for the ride. Life is funnier than we give it credit for – even in the darkest moments. I think we can all stand to be reminded of that in this day and age.
