Edinburgh Fringe Chats (#160): Claudia Shnier, SPLIT ENDS

As anticipation builds for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025, we’re catching up with a range of exciting creatives preparing to bring their work to the world’s largest arts festival this August. In this series, we delve into the stories behind the shows, the inspiration driving the artists, and what audiences can expect. Today, we’re joined by Claudia Shnier to find out more about her show, Split Ends.

1. Can you begin by telling us about your show and what inspired it? 

My show is an autobiographical piece about psychological abuse and obsessive compulsions. Basically, since I was a teenager I have been addicted to cutting my split ends, it is a compulsion that seems to start controlling me as soon as I start doing it. It can be super debilitating at times and has had some wild long term side effects. But then I fell in love with the hairiest man I had ever seen, who would shed his hairs all over my apartment. Hairs I would find months after he would disappear from my life. My compulsion then evolved into vacuuming his hairs, as a subconscious way of trying to eradicate his presence from my life and to empower myself, but this compulsion also developed into a quite unhealthy one and felt like it started to control me whenever I felt the urge to vacuum. I thought this was an incredible metaphor for the psychologically abusive relationship I was in, which really challenged my perceptions of control and powerlessness. So I decided to explore the concept of control in an abusive relationship through the metaphor of hair, using a Vacuum and a pair of Scissors as a puppet for my boyfriend in the piece.

2. What made you want to bring this work to the Fringe this year?

I did Brighton Fringe in May, and it went so well and met so many other artists that were doing Edfringe, which planted the idea in my head that I wanted to do Edfringe as well. So about a month ago I emailed venues in Edinburgh asking for any last minute slots and the starts aligned and I was given a slot at Pleasance! I was blown away in Brighton by the audience feedback and the different audience demographics my show attracted, which was different to who I was targeting it towards. And it made me think that my piece deserves to be seen and what better way to do it then to take it to Edfringe!

3. How would you describe your show in three words?

Sarah. Kane. Rave.

4. What do you hope audiences take away from watching your performance?

Honestly, one of the reviews I received in Brighton said that audiences need to see this to be educated on the damage left behind. And they hit the nail on the head. There are so many complexities in psychologically abusive relationships that people outside of it don’t understand, which leads them to question why the person can’t just leave the relationship. I think my show gives a very honest and nuanced answer to this. I couldn’t understand what I was experiencing throughout the relationship, and was only validated by friends and family who provided a voice of reason as mine had disappeared. I want to validate this experience for others and also want audiences to leave feeling incredibly empowered.

5. What’s your top tip for surviving the Fringe?

Hmmm I think I need to be the one to receive the top tips to be honest! I’m a first timer and I don’t really know what to expect other than sheer chaos. I’ve brought 5 vitamin C sachets with me? Is that enough self care?

6. Where and when can people see your show?

I am on daily at 12:30pm at Pleasance Courtyard Below from the 30th of July – 17th of August. Then I’m doing Camden Fringe from the 18th-20th of August at 7pm at The Water Rats Venue.