Split: In the Classroom

I was recently invited to East York Collegiate Institute in Toronto to attend a classroom performance of my play Split.

I was very excited to see their presentation because the play is very dear to my heart and I was curious to know how they had interpreted the material. As it turns out, the play is perfect for classroom study! After speaking with the students afterward, I learned how the play allowed them to use what they had learned about tableau, mime, blocking, projection, design, and improvisation in a practical way. It was awesome!

Split tells the story of 9 teenagers who are coping with the who, what, where, when, why, and how of divorce. Their stories tackle the topic from various points of view and, appropriately, this class was split into groups and asked to interpret these points of view. By splitting up into a smaller groups, they were really able to examine each scene, each character, and each story. In turn, they used this knowledge to inform the blocking.

And what blocking it was! They found key words in each line to help come up with one inventive stage picture after another. When Priss talks about how her Mom makes a banana split, the ensemble acted it out behind her. When Brood says that a dark cloud rolled in the day her parents split up, the ensemble morphed into a dark cloud that rolled over her. And when Hype sees the doctor because of his rapid heartbeat, the ensemble became the heartbeat. These are just a few examples of the endless number of creative ideas they came up with.


I was impressed than in just a couple of weeks they managed to learn all of the dialogue and perform the play completely off book. At first they thought it would be impossible to learn the lines because there is no linear storyline to guide them. However, by having an ensemble physicalize the monologues and create visual representations of each scene, they told me that the lines just came naturally. Not only did the stage pictures remind them what scene came next, but because there was so much movement, it was simply easier to learn that movement without a book in hand.


Their drama teacher told me the reason they invested in the material as quick as they did was because they related to the play so strongly. The modern language, the unique perspective, and the universal themes spoke to them very deeply, she said. And that definitely came across in their presentation.


Despite the fact that the play is all about things "splitting" apart, it was very moving to watch the actors repeatedly come together to bring it to life.


After seeing how it brought the students at East York Collegiate Institute closer together, I would definitely encourage any drama teacher or theater instructor to use Split in their classroom.


To read a preview or order a complete script, please visit Theatrefolk.