London, UK – Italy meets Essex at the Bennett’s family reunion, as five estranged siblings reunite following their father’s sudden death. For the first time in years, they reluctantly sit around the same table—unsure what’s worse: confronting their inheritance, or each other. It appears that the children have inherited their father’s dark habit of keeping secrets. Will they come clean and shed light on their own lives, and if so, will they 'fess up before the warm salad is served?
Houses Apart aims to spark a conversation on the way a parent’s presence, or absence, in their children’s lives influences and shapes them as they emerge into adulthood. The story is an amusing probe into the invisible ties that bind families together and the complexities surrounding inheritance, identity and belonging.
Audiences can expect a riveting evening imbued with intense emotions, cutting dialogue, and moments of reflection (and moments of absurdity) as the siblings confront their past, consider the present and contemplate the future.
Ahead of performances at London’s The Cockpit Theatre we sat down with director Alex Rizkallah, and cast members Faith Foakes who plays Sara and Viola Rizzardi Peñalosa who plays Silvia.
Viola/Silvia - Houses Apart is a sharp, intimate, and sometimes absurd exploration of what happens when five siblings - strangers, really - are forced into the same room after the death of the father they barely know. What begins as an unconventional family reunion quickly spirals into a messy collision of personalities, past traumas, clashing memories, and the unspoken things that shape a family.
Alex/Director: 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.
Faith/Sara: When a loved one dies, I think it is common to want to grieve privately or with the people you love most in the world. However, often we don’t get that straight away. Houses Apart deals with the tribulations of Family, complicated relationships between them and all the while the characters are trying to come to terms with the loss of one of the most important figures in their life - their father.
Where did the inspiration for the show come from?
Sara/Faith: Initially I think we can credit that to Viola, pitching the show to the group while studying at East 15 Acting School. We wanted to create a piece that would
explore the relationships between family in one of the darkest times of life, and how it can make or break a family into. We also wanted to touch on very raw issues that theatre makers sometimes shy away from, with a sprinkling of comedy for good measure!
What can you tell me about your character?
Viola/Silvia - Silvia is the youngest sibling, living somewhat in her own world of astrology, tarot, and energies. Fragile and empathetic, she seems oblivious to the harsher truths around her. She has never felt truly seen - not by her father, nor by her siblings.
Viola/Silvia - Silvia is the youngest sibling, living somewhat in her own world of astrology, tarot, and energies. Fragile and empathetic, she seems oblivious to the harsher truths around her. She has never felt truly seen - not by her father, nor by her siblings.
Sara/Faith: Sara is a people pleaser, and has been her whole life. She’s is desperately trying to hold the family together, wanting everyone to get along but of course this never happens in life. However, as we often find, she has immersed herself in the business of sorting affairs to shy away from her grief at the loss of her father, taking care of everyone but herself until it eventually gets too much to bear.
What drew you to want to work on this piece?
Alex/Director: I’m really interested about the complexities of family relationships and what keeps people connected even through great hardships. This play provokes a lot of questions around the ideas of belonging, home and choosing who to call family which are questions I believe each one of us have a relationship with. Also, getting to do this production in-the-round is a really exciting challenge as the configuration makes the
audience feel as if they're really in the room with these characters making the story and the experience intimate and palpable.
Alex/Director: I’m really interested about the complexities of family relationships and what keeps people connected even through great hardships. This play provokes a lot of questions around the ideas of belonging, home and choosing who to call family which are questions I believe each one of us have a relationship with. Also, getting to do this production in-the-round is a really exciting challenge as the configuration makes the
audience feel as if they're really in the room with these characters making the story and the experience intimate and palpable.
Sara/Faith: So I have worked on this piece from the beginning with Viola and Mika. Like Alex, I think family relationships can be very complicated and wanted to explore this. I also think that there is an interested in the family drama genre at the moment, with TV shows like Succession, or plays like The Other Place and Dear Octopus being very popular. After we developed the show at East 15, we’ve since had a successful run at the Lambeth Fringe in October - and it’s become a project close to my heart.
How have you approached developing the show to the point of where it is today?
Viola/Silvia - Developing Houses Apart has been a collaborative and evolving process.
We started with the core idea during the MA Acting course at East 15 Acting School, exploring family dynamics through devising. From there, we decided to take it further and deepen the story and characters. Camden Fringe will be the third version of the show, as we’re always focused on improving and refining the story. Working closely as a family-led team, we’ve aimed to create authentic voices and balance the dark comedy
with emotional honesty. We’ve also used real-life conversation about family and identity to shape the script. It’s been a journey of listening - to each other, to the text,
and to the audience’s responses.
with emotional honesty. We’ve also used real-life conversation about family and identity to shape the script. It’s been a journey of listening - to each other, to the text,
and to the audience’s responses.
Alex/Director: 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 theatre 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.
How have you approached building your version of the character?
Alex/Director: 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. As the Director, a significant challenge in building this version of the play is that this will be the first time the show will be
performed in-the-round, so also adapting it for a new configuration is very exciting.
Alex/Director: 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. As the Director, a significant challenge in building this version of the play is that this will be the first time the show will be
performed in-the-round, so also adapting it for a new configuration is very exciting.
Sara/Faith: Sara is a very complex character, with lots of emotions bubbling underneath a very stressed exterior. Each time I return to her I find new parts of her personality, which I love. In terms of technique, for Sara I love to write down her memories of her father or her siblings, so that I can process her feelings along with her. I also think her relationship with her siblings, David especially, is important - so I’ve loved working with
the cast on building that up - often through games of volleyball!
Why do you believe this is a story for now?
Viola/Silvia - Houses Apart is a story for now because it explores the complexities of family at a time when traditional connections are constantly being redefined. As
conversations around identity and upbringing become more prominent, the play dives into how parental presence - or absence - shapes who we become. It also tackles the theme of belonging, as many people grapple with legacy in all its forms - emotional, financial, and cultural. At its heart, Houses Apart is about the secrets families keep and the way those secrets ripple through generations.
Alex/Director: Family has and always will be integral to who we are as human beings. This play asks universal questions as 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 exploring this story of siblings and belonging is ever present on an individual and global
level.
level.
How would you describe the style of the show?
Alex/Director: The show’s style is quite naturalistic and contemporary but incorporates moments of surrealism.
Alex/Director: The show’s style is quite naturalistic and contemporary but incorporates moments of surrealism.
Sara/Faith: it’s also the first time we’ve performed this show in the round, so that’s been an exciting challenge for us. It’s changed the dynamics of the scenes and forces us as actors to address the awkwardness of the situation, and really immerse the audience in the family drama.
What was the first piece of theatre you saw that had a big impact on you?
Alex/Director: I had seen a production of Next to Normal when I was young and I was deeply struck by how profound and moving a piece of theatre could be. This impact has certainly shaped my artistry and ignited my drive for this career.
Alex/Director: I had seen a production of Next to Normal when I was young and I was deeply struck by how profound and moving a piece of theatre could be. This impact has certainly shaped my artistry and ignited my drive for this career.
Sara/Faith: At university I saw the 2022 production of The Normal Heart at the national. It was probably the best play I have ever seen, from the acting to the staging to tell this heartbreakingly true story. Three years on and I am still affected by it!
What would you hope an audience member takes away from seeing the show?
Viola/Silvia - I hope audiences leave Houses Apart feeling seen in their own messy, complicated family stories. The play invites us to laugh together at those awkward, uncomfortable moments that come with unconventional family dynamics. Most of all, I hope it sparks conversations about how we carry our past into the future - and maybe find a little healing along the way.
Where can audiences see the show and grab tickets?
Alex/Director: Catch Houses Apart at The Cockpit Theatre as part of the Camden Fringe, 7-10 August 2025.
Tickets are available from https://tickets.thecockpit.org.uk/sales/shows/camden-fringe-2025/houses-apart
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