"Immensely attractive and engaging...compassionate, honest and well observed characters...Sharp, clear and economical, this is a tender story, beautifully told."
Aubrey Mellor OAM, Director, National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA)

"One of the best productions in Tokyo this year...beautifully paced and interspersed with delightful humor, The Window will live for a long time in audiences' hearts, wherever it is staged."
The Japan Times

The Window is an original theatre and multi-media work created in 2006 by an independent group of artists from Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Montreal and Tokyo. The production was chosen to represent Australia at the 2006 Japan-Australia Year of Exchange and won Best Design at the annual theatre awards of The Japan Times, Tokyo.

Created by Queensland director Mark Bromilow, The Window features exceptional performances by Julie Eckersley and Jo Turner, an inspiring soundscape by multi award-winning Canadian composer, Michel Robidoux (Les Deux Mondes, Montreal) and stunning video projection supplied by pre-recorded textures and live feed from eight on-stage cameras. Yet the powerful visuals and music never distract from the dramatic action, serving rather to amplify the emotion of a subtle and moving story.

The central character of The Window is Josephine, a 35 year-old woman who works as a psychologist using Sandplay Therapy to assist children who are suffering from abandonment or trauma.

Abandoned herself at the age of eight, by a father who could not cope following the death of Josephine's mother, Josie has put her past behind her, or so she believes. She has no contact with her estranged father, a foreign correspondent, apart from occasionally seeing him on the TV, reporting from various war zones. Josephine has a great job, a great boyfriend and is about to leave on a holiday to Paris, city of love and light, when suddenly ... her world falls apart. Josie finds herself alone, lost in an alien city. She takes refuge away from the light and beauty of Paris, seeking out the shadowy, labyrinthine passages of the Metro and it is here, like Theseus, that she must face her personal Minotaur, the darkness in the centre of her soul.

The Window is an archetypal tale of growth, redemption, forgiveness. At the same time, it is a very simple, personal story about a woman facing the fundamental question of whether or not to have a child. It is also the story of Josephine's father, his pain, his regret and his attempts at reconciliation. A story about abandonment, about family, about truths and untruths and about a little girl looking out a window into the rain, waiting ... Above all, it is a story of hope.

Arts Asia Pacific
Arts Asia Pacific is a producer, executive producer, general manager, and tour manager working throughout the Asia Pacific region. As well as producing and touring new work Arts Asia Pacific specializes in structuring tours and seasons for existing productions throughout Asia. Arts Asia Pacific is working with Mark Bromilow, director and co-creator of The Window to expand the touring potential of this wonderful multi-disciplinary piece. The Window was conceived by Mark Bromilow, Julie Eckersley and Jo Turner with video designer Jen Jackson, composer Michel Robidoux and set and costume designer Alison Ross through a collaboration that brought together the creative processes of film and theatre into an accessible and challenging performing arts work. The result is an incredibly moving piece of original multi-media theatre. Through support from Arts Queensland, The Window was initiated and developed in Queensland, where it premiered in June 2006, before touring to Japan in September and October on the invitation of the 2006 Japan-Australia Year of Exchange. The overwhelmingly positive response to the production, both in Australia and Japan, has confirmed the universality and accessibility of this work.

Contact:

Torben Brookman
Managing Director
13 Anglo Ave
Parkside SA 5063
Tel: +61 8 8377 7163
Fax: +61 8 8377 7028
Mob: +61 0409 288 025
torben@artsap.com
www.artsap.com
www.thewindow.com.au