Florence Lace-Evans trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama on the BA Acting (Musical Theatre) course.
Nominated for the Spotlight Award in 2019 and graduating with First Class (hons), Florence has since worked across film and stage. Past credits include 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche (Old Joint Stock Theatre), The Contract (Eve Entertainment) and House of Nemesis (Poison Tree Productions). Florence also features as a monthly host on the musical theatre podcast, Sunday On the Pod. Yes, We’re Related is Florence’s first dark comedy play, first debuting at the Edinburgh Fringe earlier this year, “Lace-Evans’ acting shines” (Broadway Baby), and was supported by SOHO Theatre in their Edinburgh Fringe Labs 2024.
Florence joins us on Close-Up Culture to tell us more about Yes, We’re Related.
Hi Florence, how are you doing?
Really well thank you!! Yes, We’re Related is opening next week so I am getting very excited to get the show on the road!
The show opens next week, how have preparations been?
It has been a whirlwind! This is definitely my most ambitious project yet, but I’m so excited to share what we’re been working on. The best way to describe preparations for the show, is a bit like organising a wedding… not that I’ve ever organised a wedding – but it’s a lot of planning, and a lot of excel spreadsheets. The whole team are super thrilled to be opening next week, and I can’t wait to see what people think of the show!
Do you have any pre-show rituals?
Always. It varies show to show, and is dependent on the character I’m playing – but usually something I always do, regardless of character, is every show I throw an imaginary rounders ball really high in the ski, and then when the show is done I catch the ball. Sounds a little strange, but it’s a way for me to mark the start and end of the show. I also always need a moment to be in the space I’m performing in before the show, whether it’s lying down on the stage to feel grounded or walking around the entire auditorium just to feel like when the audience enter, they are entering my characters space.
The show follows themes of comedy, grief and wildlife. How do you find these interact with each other?
It’s funny, whenever I initially say “Yes, We’re Related is a dark comedy about grief” people’s faces usually drop. Grief and humour cannot possibly co-exist!!! And look, I’m not saying grief isn’t sad, there are definitely moments which are extremely difficult to go through – which is also touched on in the show. But also love exploring the dark comedy, and naturally there can be a lot of comedy in how someone grieves, and we see this a lot in show. In terms of wildlife, it was incredibly easy to integrate, especially when one of my main characters is a squirrel called Gerald – the comedy writes itself!
And how did you come up with this concept?
Originally, I always knew I wanted to write a show about these two dysfunctional sisters, Sara and Saskia, and how two siblings can hate spending time together despite being related. It was always a very interesting notion to me, especially when most of the time siblings can be portrayed as having a sense of solidarity in most TV/Film. Yes, We’re Related has also always had a squirrel called Gerald, and there was a time where I needed to understand why he was necessary, and what he could serve to the story. But when the play evolved into being story about these two sisters dealing with the grief of their mother, the natural ties that people can have with animals and reincarnation meant it just felt right to keep Gerald. The later addition of Mark was also a really important script development for me, as Mark is the only external character we see outside the world of Sara and Saskia’s family – so in many ways he acts as the audience’s way in to the sister’s world. Also, despite all of Marks quirks, Mark has some beautiful moments where you see someone who is not related to the family also grieve – which I think is important to highlight how different people grieve even when they are not directly related to someone.
Do you think the concept of humour in grief is something that should be explored more in the arts?
There is something quite therapeutic about finding the comedy in grief. In many ways, I hope that if anyone seeing the show has experienced grief can leave feeling a sense of being seen, especially when they see three characters process bereavement completely differently. I think it’s really important for the arts to continue to explore uncomfortable topics in this way, especially if they are juxtaposing with secondary themes, like grief and comedy – as I think you can’t have one without the other. A little bit like a painting, you will always have light and dark colours – and the same can be said of any piece of theatre, there should always be a balance. I also hope it opens people up to discussing painful topics, such as grief, so that in the future there isn’t a feeling of not being able to talk about it.
Have you had any experiences that interlink with the themes of the show?
So the play itself obviously deals with themes of grief, and it also explores the theme of reincarnation, and how Sara believes her mother has been reincarnated as a red squirrel called Gerald. In 2021 my Auntie was diagnosed with cancer, and at the time I was unable to visit her due to COVID restrictions. When I found out that she passed I felt incredibly guilty for not getting to say goodbye to her, and I knew eventually I’d want to go to her house in Canada to pay my respects. To this day whenever I visit my Auntie’s house on Vancouver Island, I always see hummingbirds flying around her porch. The last time I was there one in particular came very close, hovered for a few seconds by my head, and then darted off. Now, hummingbirds are native to British Columbia, so the likelihood of me seeing one isn’t rare, but I’d like to think that those hummingbirds at her house are my Auntie’s way of saying hello to me and keeping me connected to her.
You’re a London local, what’s it like bringing a show to your city?
Yes – I’m a proud North London Camden girl! We had so much momentum after Edinburgh, and I knew I didn’t want it to end. London is different in the respect that you’re not in that Edinburgh Fringe bubble, where you have thousands of performers running around flyer-ing next to you – but I feel like they are similar in some ways as London has an audience that is hungry to see new fresh work. It’s really exciting, and we’ve had a lot of interest in the show – so I can’t wait to see where it takes us next!
Where can people catch Yes, We’re Related?
The Other Palace, London from 12-17th November 2024.
And where can people give you a follow for future shows!
Instagram: @yes.related
Twitter: @yes_related