Review: SPLIT ENDS the trauma of obsession, control and loss

Friday 23rd January 2026 7pm, The Loading Dock, Qtopia

SPLIT ENDS is an autobiographical work born from a painful relationship, presented with raw honesty and formidable commitment by Claudia Shnier. From the moment the audience enters, Shnier is already on stage, telling us she hasn’t started yet. It’s a small but telling gesture. The show announces itself as unfinished, self-aware, and restless before a word of narrative is spoken.

Obsessed with searching for split ends in her hair, Shnier uses this compulsion as an entry point into a broader exploration of trauma, coercive control and the psychological residue left behind when a relationship ends but its grip does not. A non-fiction disclaimer sets the tone. This is confession rather than character, therapy rather than fiction, and Shnier’s passion for performance becomes the vehicle through which she excavates her experience.

The work is experimental, combining multimedia, expressionism, puppetry and frequent breaks of the fourth wall. Shnier performs in activewear, grounding the piece in a body that is present, exposed and constantly in motion. She tussles with a second version of herself that appears on screen, the dialogue between live and filmed Claudia executed with remarkable precision. The sync between the two is technically impressive and demonstrates Shnier’s skill and discipline as a performer. We have seen this device before, but she uses it with utter expertise.

That said, the distinction between the two Claudias is a little unclear. The colour palette on screen is noticeably warmer than the stage lighting, and video Claudia is amplified through the speaker system while stage Claudia remains un-mic’d. These technical differences unintentionally suggest two different characters rather than two facets of the same psyche. While the choreography and timing are flawless, the device might be more compelling if both Claudias appeared and sounded identical, strengthening the internal dialogue rather than fragmenting it.

Shnier’s metaphors are clever and often confronting. A pair of scissors and a vacuum cleaner stand in for her demanding partner. The scissors become a boyfriend, a mouth, a threat. Kissing them is both absurd and chilling, underscoring the danger of certain kinds of intimacy. Being sucked in, quite literally, leaves the audience on edge. These objects are significant, embodying how obsession, control and desire can intertwine.  

There are moments where the piece leans heavily into bitterness and grievance, and the emotional register remains largely unchanged. We witness the open wound for the duration of the performance, but there is little reflection, reframing or movement beyond it. The pulling of the plug from the vacuum at the end suggests an ending, perhaps a reclaiming of control, but this gesture is not clearly articulated within the narrative. It feels symbolic rather than resolved, and I felt unsure how, or if, the trauma has shifted.

This may be where the work most clearly reveals its purpose. SPLIT ENDS feels like a show for those learning about love for the first time, or for audiences who have recently experienced similar pain. For them, the sustained focus on raw emotion and lived experience may resonate deeply. For others, the lack of distance or transformation can make the piece feel one-note, more like a therapy session than a fully shaped theatrical journey.

Shnier is a strong and committed performer, and her willingness to put her experience on stage takes real courage. Watching SPLIT ENDS, however, can feel uncomfortable in a very specific way. A friend described it as feeling like being inside the relationship itself, a tense and exhausting experience that you cannot escape. Sitting through the show feels relentless, much like the dynamic Shnier is describing. At the same time, there were audience members clearly moved and deeply engaged by the performance.

This is a show worth investigating for yourself. A powerhouse performance that may be the theatrical resonance you’re looking for.