Review: The Window Project (Etcetera Theatre)

I was invited to review The Window Project at The Etcetera Theatre.  This was my first visit to this venue, and it was lovely to see a full house.

Created by Nikos Lekakis and Amalia Paschalidi who also performed the show, The Window Project began with them on stage, seemingly unsure what they (or we) were meant to be watching.  After the comment “I think we are the show” the characters decided to create something between themselves.

With the focus on a model house, the hour long play became what seemed to me almost like a series of somewhat disjointed scenes as the pair of strangers played a game which involved answering questions.  Some of these scenes worked better than others as they showed glimpses of moments that were gripping, engaging and that I wanted more of. Others had problematic elements – such as a sequence when both actors were sitting on the floor. Anyone under the average height in the room may have found it hard to see them at that point.

Through the play there was some interesting music used at times (composed by Kostas Zisimopoulos), which I felt added to the play especially in the first half. The timing was great for changing the focus of what was going on, and at times quite amusing when the music stopped and started.

The set design (Olga Brouma), particularly of the model house and the tiny 3D printed people, showed great attention to detail, and the lighting (Anna Sbokou) also worked well.

Part of the “game” led to a point where a camera was activated and the visuals from this were projected onto a screen at the back of the stage. The use of the camera to show the 3D printed characters in the house was effective. Other sequences with the camera slightly distracted from the monologues being delivered on stage.

There was a scene at the end of the show where the performers were shown leaving the theatre space and running out into the road outside.  This was quite interesting but would have worked even better if it was made to look like them leaving was live… instead of watching a video while the actors picked up props from the floor.

There is no taking away from the fact that Nikos Lekakis and Amalia Paschalidi have stage presence and work well together as performers.  A scene where the two characters are hinting at potential romance worked really well, with the unresolved question of “will they or won’t they” being more satisfying here than any other possibility.   But it was the latter part of the show that was the most engaging, when the audience was informed about the dystopian situation the characters were in, and the fact that everyone had to have their windows constantly visible to the world at large. The delivery of this information and the situation itself was engaging and I wonder if this would have more of an impact at the start of the production rather than at the end.

It is important to bear in mind this is a piece that is still going through the developmental process. As it stands, it’s difficult to describe plot-wise, the absurd nature perhaps taken a step too far. There are too many creative ideas being mixed in the pot here, and sifting through them to find the most effective ones will be a useful next step.

Personally, I felt the intro could be shortened, the game should be a sub plot and the backstory of each of the individuals, and why and how they are in this position and are now connecting in the dystopian landscape is crying out to be brought forward and expanded upon.

The Window Project is not a play I will be forgetting any time soon, but mostly because of the fact I am still wishing certain parts of it had been expanded on further.  

I will be very interested to see how it develops in the future, and to revisit the piece in its final form.

⭐⭐1/2

The Window Project is showing as part of Voila Theatre Festival, with another performance on 16th November at 3pm.

If you would like to see more of my curtain call photographs from this and other shows, please visit my Instagram.

I was gifted a ticket for this show in exchange for an honest review.