Claudia Shnier to Tour the UK with One-Woman Show SPLIT ENDS
SPLIT ENDS delves into complex relationships through a unique narrative
Following successful runs at Edinburgh, Camden and Brighton Fringe - where it was nominated for best show 2025 - and a sell out tour in Melbourne and Sydney earlier this year; Claudia Shnier will return with a regional tour of England with her hit show Split Ends that explores psychologically abusive relationships and her own OCD.
Split Ends, by Claudia Shnier today announces a UK tour. The multimedia production, created and directed by Shnier, with audio and video produced by Oscar Gross will tour to Edge Hill Arts Centre, Lancashire 9 April, Porter's Theatre, Cardiff 18 April, Blue Orange Theatre, Birmingham 24 April, Loco Klub, Bristol 28-29 April, Aphabetti Theatre, Newcastle 13-14 May, Contact Theatre, Manchester 19-20 May, Chyan Dome, Falmouth 17 June.
The show will also be performed in hospitals to NHS staff to provoke conversations about coercive control and the effects on physical and mental health; this was after being invited to do so by a doctor that saw the show in Edinburgh.
Taking inspiration from her own life, Split Ends follows the character's journey through OCD and coercive control within relationships told using scissors and hoovers as puppets. The hoover being a literal stand in for the abusive male character provoking and affecting the character's OCD and mental health.
Originally premiered at Brighton Fringe where it was nominated for Best New Show 2025, before runs at Edinburgh Fringe, Camden Fringe and internationally in Melbourne and Sydney this is the first regional UK tour of the show.
Claudia Shnier, writer, director and creator of Split Ends 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 her own experience of doing the show, Shnier 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.”
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