Houses Apart, The Cockpit
For Camden Fringe 2025 we are attempting to reach 100 interviews to highlight as many of the shows performing as we possibly can. Every day we will publish new interviews, so do keep coming back to see how close to our target we can get. You can find all our Camden Fringe interviews here.
We do love doing a mass interview, all those different voices with different viewpoints can lead to some really fun conversations. So it was a delight for us to chat with the team behind Houses Apart, which will be coming to The Cockpit on 7 and 8 August (tickets here).
So it’s a welcome to Viola Rizzardi Penalosa (writer & performer), Alexandra Rizkalla (director), Imogen Peck (performer), Malcom Webb (performer) and Faith Foakes (performer), who are going to tell us more about this show that is a funny inquiry into the complexity of family relations, inheritance and belonging. At its heart, Houses Apart asks: how does the love we are given – or denied – growing up shape who we become?
What can audiences expect from the show?
AR: What happens when you find out you have more siblings than you ever imagined? This dark comedy explores the hardships, surprises and wonders of the importance of family and its ever complex lenses. The play delves into the difficulties of loving the family we have and trying to accept it for what it is and for who we are within it.
Is Camden Fringe going to be the show’s first time on stage, or have you already performed elsewhere?
AR: This is a new play that’s been through a workshop performance and a run at the Lambeth Fringe in 2024. After even further development we are bringing it now to Camden Fringe at the Cockpit Theatre. We’re very excited to be part of this wonderful festival of a diverse range of work and in a venue that is a champion of new writing. The Cockpit is an incredible venue with its in-the-round configuration for this play as the audience will really get to feel as if they are in the room and part of the family.
What was your inspiration behind the show?
VR: The inspiration behind the show began with a simple question – what if? What if I woke up tomorrow and found out I had a long-lost sibling? How would that relationship unfold? Would it feel strangely natural – as if something unspoken connected us – or would it be awkward, unfamiliar, maybe even a little absurd? I kept asking myself these questions, and soon realised I wasn’t the only one. There’s a universal curiosity in the idea of family, especially for those of us who grew up in unconventional settings. A curiosity about the unknown ties that might shape who we are. This play came from that place – from imagining the emotional mess, the humour, the discomfort, and the strange beauty of discovering someone who is both part of you and completely new.
This show was born from that one ‘what if’, but it quickly became something much bigger. Through the input, voices, and ideas of a wider group, it developed into a fuller, more complex and wholesome story – one that is chaotic, funny, raw and ultimately human.
How long have you been working on the play?
VR: The show was born at East15 Acting School in April 2024. It started as part of a devised theatre module, where we had to pitch an idea from scratch. After the initial pitch, five of us came together – we were all curious and passionate about the concept. Over a month of improvising, drafting, redrafting (and a fair amount of blood, sweat and tears!), we created a 25 minute piece. After graduating that summer, we realised we weren’t done with it – there was more to explore. We decided to keep working, digging deeper, and developing it into a full-length show that could speak to a wider audience.
IP: I’m new to the show for this production and am so excited. I saw this show when it was first performed at East15 and thought it was such a powerful exploration of familial relationships and the impact of grief. This new version has fleshed out those themes and created an even more nuanced story, which I am thrilled to explore!
Is this version how you originally envisioned it or has it changed drastically since you first put pen to paper?
VR: It’s definitely evolved. The heart of the piece is still the same, but the tone, structure, and depth of the characters have grown a lot. The sibling dynamics, the grief, the humour – none of that was fully formed at the start. So no, it’s not exactly how we first imagined it, but I think that’s the beauty of devising in a group setting. It’s been a collaborative, ever-evolving process – one that’s still surprising us.
What was it that drew you to this show and role?
AR: I’m really interested about the complexities of family relationships and what keeps people connected even through great hardships. This play asks what does family look like, and is family the most important thing at the end of the day. I think everyone has a different relationship with these questions, whether from their own experience or cultural backgrounds, so these questions are always ever present on an individual and global level.
What is it about your character that you most enjoy?
VR: Her unpredictability and vulnerability, and how she’s unapologetically herself. She feels everything so deeply. She’s chaotic, yes, but also full of heart.
MW: His sharp tongue and even sharper dress sense.
FF: I love her kind nature, how she wants to keep her family together despite their faults. She also cooks a great warm salad.
How challenging has this role been for you?
AR: It’s always an exciting challenge to develop new work. It’s an exciting dramaturgical adventure to be part of a new piece of writing and get to help unravel and discover its most effective shape. You get to be incredibly curious and a real detective for words, structure and overall meaning. A big challenge is this will be the first time the show will be performed in-the-round, so also adapting it for a new configuration is Directorially very exciting.
FF: it’s hard to find the middle ground between presenting Sara as a pushover, but then portraying her stronger more assertive side.
What brought you all together?
VR: Most of us are East 15 graduates. Some members of the cast – like Viola, Faith, and Mika – have been part of the project since the very beginning, others joined more recently – like Malcolm and Imogen – and from the start we knew they’d bring these characters to life beautifully. The fact that we all come from the same training background really helped as we speak the same ‘creative language’ and there’s a lot of trust in the room. We met our director, Alex, and our Assistant Director, Su Young, and our stage manager, Bailey, during our end-of-year show at East 15. We instantly knew they’d be the right people to help shape this story. It’s been a real collaboration from day one, and we’re lucky to have such a great team believe in the project.
Being a fringe festival, we all know sets have to be bare minimum, how have you got around this with your set and props?
AR: Fringe festivals are definitely bare bones when it comes to design, but are amazing opportunities to highlight the storytelling through the writing and acting. So we’ve definitely leaned into, especially with being in-the-round, the simplicity of telling a story and how this can be elevated through bodies in space and the great script we get to work with.
What has been the biggest challenge in realising the writer’s vision for the show?
AR: New work is always very collaborative, so it’s been great to have a flexible playwright in the room who’s open to how the play is developing with everyone. As Director, you can get caught in the details of a new play to ensure the math all adds up but balancing that with the big picture of the play and the overall vision requires intentional and thoughtful choices throughout the process.
How important is audience interaction to you?
AR: The great thing about being in-the-round is that the audience is our 6th cast member. They are really living and breathing in the room where the actors will be playing so it is incredibly alive and palpable.
Are there any plans for what comes next after the show has finished its run – for you or the show?
VR: Absolutely. We see this show as having a life beyond this current run. It started as a 25-minute piece, and it’s grown so much already – but we’re not done yet! We’d love to keep developing it further and explore new venues and audiences. As for us individually, we’re all continuing to work as actors, writers and creatives and we’re excited to see where this show might take us next, together or apart.
Who would play you in the Hollywood adaptation of your future autobiography?
AR: Maybe Manal Issa. She is a wonderful Lebanese-French actor who I highly enjoyed her performance in the film “The Swimmers”.
FF: I’d love Carey Mulligan to play me, although she’s quite a bit older than me so I’m not sure how it would work! But I love how dynamic she is, she’s so versatile as an artist and a great singer!
If you had to describe your show as a colour what would it be?
AR: Purple. It needs to be a colour that is not primary as the show has different turns and surprises, while also drawing the eye further into the colour. So purple with its interesting mix to create it is a good representation of the show.
MW: Red because that is the colour of theatre (also most apples)
FF: probably a greyish white – the colour of snow, I think a lot of the siblings throw insults around that kind of feels like you’re being hit by a snowball! Cold and hard.
If you had to describe your show as a meal what would it be?
FF: a roast dinner, but on a reaaaaallllly hot day so you’re sweating while cooking it and then have to sit down and pretend to enjoy it when really you couldn’t think of anything worse!
If your show had a soundtrack what songs would definitely be on it?
AR: “We Are Family” Sister Sledge, “Papaoutai” Stromae, “Soldi” Mahmood, “F9mily (You & Me)” Lil Nas X, “Letting Go” Angie McMahon.
FF: definitely think Sara would love a bit of Ed Sheeran’s “thinking out loud”. But, I think the Star Wars theme has a place in it too! But again you’ll have to come and watch to find out why!
If you could perform this show anywhere in the world where would it be?
AR: It has strong ties to being set in England, though it has international aspects, so keeping it in England would serve it best. If it could be done anywhere then in the Dorfman at the National Theatre!
FF: definitely agree with Alex – the national would be amazing! Top notch.
What is the weirdest or most unconventional prop used in your show?
AR: At one point a character burns a salad, and you’re just going to have to come check out the show to find out how that’s possible.
FF: an urn…a very unattractive urn…
If budget or reality was not an issue, what’s the one piece of scenery/set you’d love to have in your show?
AR: a turntable for the in-the-round configuration!
MW: A really swanky grand piano. Would be class.
FF: a swimming pool! A working swimming pool, in the background that MAYBE the cast would end up in!
What’s the most valuable piece of advice you’ve received during your career, and how has it influenced your work on this show?
VR: No one is going to do it for you – it’s all up to you. It sounds simple, but Houses Apart wouldn’t exist if we’d waited for the ‘right’ time or for someone to hand us an opportunity. We made it happen – we wrote it, shaped it, re-shaped it, found our team and kept it alive.
What words of advice/encouragement would you give anyone thinking about doing Camden Fringe next year?
VR: Just do it! Camden Fringe is an incredible space to take creative risks and meet like-minded people. Be brave and trust that it doesn’t have to be perfect to be meaningful. Oh, and planning is everything – Start early!
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