Kacie Rogers tells us all about her black-femme theatre show I Sell Windows

Two-time NAACP award winner Kacie Rogers is bringing her one-woman show I Sell Windows to the Edinburgh Fringe this August. The show follows a young Black woman’s existential journey through a sudden loss, exploring what is birthed at the collision of grief, ambition and sex. With help from shadow puppetry choreographed by Brittaney Talbot, Kacie invites the audience into her dreams, her therapy sessions and childhood memories – as well as a few shifts at the weirdest job she's ever likely to have: selling windows at a farmers market.

We caught up with Kacie to find out more.

What inspired you to write I Sell Windows? How did the idea evolve?

In 2021, I was anonymously nominated for the Free The Arts Shay Fellowship, a paid opportunity to write and develop a solo piece.  I was always interested in writing all of the scariest things I could think of that I never thought I could say in front of a roomful of people. I also knew that in order to do that, I would need a collaborator who I trusted to help me sift through the scary things and find the right container for sharing them. 

Once I found that person (Jaquita Ta’le, the show’s director), we spent over a year developing the show and finding these threads that came together to create what you see onstage now. Jaquita always says “seeing the show is like stepping into Kacie’s brain,” and it is. It’s a sort of stream of consciousness exploration and processing of grief through all these different corners of my life, including one of the weirdest jobs I’ve ever had – selling windows.

I Sell Windows uses a mix of traditional and non-traditional storytelling techniques including shadow puppetry. How do you choose what to use when?

I Sell Windows is a one-woman show but in a lot of ways it’s a three-woman show. We have two incredible puppeteers/artists/performers – Brittaney Talbot (who designed and built all the shadow puppets for our show) and Perry Daniel. Our director, Jaquita Ta’le had this vision of shadow puppetry to help build the world of the show. A theme we also worked with was this interaction with the shadow self, which can be really scary but also really freeing to sort of peel back the curtain and not feel the need to hide. There is this beautiful dance that happens between the verbal and visual storytelling, where the memories and imaginings that live within [the character] Kacie get to come to life for the audience. It really was an amazing collaboration through the rehearsal process. Jaquita gave everyone the space to explore and try things to be able to find the balance of where those visuals naturally revealed themselves within the rhythm of the show.

The play delves into themes of grief, ambition and identity. What key message do you hope audiences take away from it?

We hope audiences come with an open mind and open heart to come on this journey with us. This character is me being the most vulnerable, working through grief, and looking directly at the scariest parts of myself. The hope is that while they are giving space to and learning from and feeling for ‘Kacie’, they are doing the same for themselves in whatever journeys they are on.

What motivates you to keep creating and performing?

I have so many feelings and only so many avenues through which to express them. Creating and performing has always felt like my lifeline when it comes to exploring myself or the world around me or the human condition. I think my fears, frustrations, curiosities, and fascinations don't allow me to stop creating and performing. At least not yet. 

Can you tell us more about your company Bottle Tree Theatre and its mission to amplify underrepresented voices in the arts?

Bottle Tree Theatre is a black-femme led company founded by myself, Chelsea Boyd, and Jaquita Ta’le. Our work is at once reflective of our living community as well as a conduit to our past and our ancestors, while also building a future rooted in black joy. I Sell Windows is a fitting representation of the work we hope to continue to create to that end. One of the things we always say at Bottle Tree is “No sorries,” which is a reminder to tell stories unapologetically and without fear or need to hide or be less of anything because it gives our audience, our community license to be themselves – to walk through the world from a place joy and truth. 

I Sell Windows will be performed at 4pm in Assembly George Square Studios (Studio Four) from 1st – 25th August (Not 7th, or 13th)

Booking link: https://assemblyfestival.com/whats-on/540-i-sell-windows