Following celebrated runs at Edinburgh, Camden and Brighton Fringe, where it was nominated for Best New Show, Split Ends now begins its first regional UK tour. The show also enjoyed a sell out season in Melbourne and Sydney earlier this year.
Created, written and directed by Claudia Shnier, with audio and video produced by Oscar Gross, Split Ends blends physical theatre, puppetry and multimedia to follow a woman navigating OCD and psychologically abusive relationships. Scissors and hoovers become puppets, with a hoover representing the abusive partner whose presence triggers and shapes the character’s mental health.
The production will tour to Edge Hill Arts Centre in Lancashire on 9 April, Porter’s Theatre in Cardiff on 18 April, Blue Orange Theatre in Birmingham on 24 April, Loco Klub in Bristol on 28 and 29 April, Alphabetti Theatre in Newcastle on 13 and 14 May, Contact Theatre in Manchester on 19 and 20 May, and Chyan Dome in Falmouth on 17 June.
The show will also be performed for NHS staff in hospital settings to support conversations around coercive control and its impact on physical and mental health, following an invitation from a doctor who saw the piece in Edinburgh.
Drawing from personal experience, Shnier’s work examines the cyclical nature of subtly harmful behaviour and how easily it can be justified by those experiencing it.
Shnier says: “I started writing the piece with my own truth and experiences at the forefront of my mind, which I found was an incredible way to validate and process my own recollections. As the piece developed, the autobiographical elements were still there, but the reactions I received from audiences really showed me the universality of this story, which influenced how the piece evolved for its next iteration. As I have continued to perform the show, the sharing of this piece and the way it has connected to people from completely different backgrounds has been so enriching. I am excited to continue to share this story and inform people how insidious cyclical patterns of subtly harmful behaviour can be. A lot of these harmful actions of pulling back, reengaging and unpredictable emotions can be easily justifiable, making the other person in the relationship very susceptible to gaslighting tactics, however this process has huge impacts on people’s mental health. ‘Split Ends’ is an exploration of that and the effect this show has had on people, and on myself has been an important part of the show’s evolution.”
Speaking about the process of performing the show, she said: “My inner voice was so detached and blurry to me for so long, that I wasn’t able to validate my own experiences. Similarly, my ‘gut feeling’ had been completely annihilated which left me so susceptible to his words and promises. I was justifying his actions right up until after I first performed the show in Brighton. From that point, I felt completely that I had found my voice again and my power started to return.”
The five star production has been widely praised as “as raw as they come” and has received acclaim from LouReviews, Theatre and Tonic, Broadway World, Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and EdFringe Review.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
