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Current Shows

Endurance
The Pearl

In the Works

Split Knuckle Theater in residence at Shakespeare and Company performing their internationally acclaimed show Endurance.

Split Knuckle and Acrobuffos present Cafe Goma!
@ The University of Connecticut Storrs April, 27th 2012 5:00pm !

Split Knuckle is in rehearsal for the Curious Case of Phineas Gage, a touching and comic exploration of the Human Mind. Coming soon!

The Scotsman

The five performers work in impeccable harmony, bringing every moment of the story into perfect focus..an elegant, humorous and tremendously moving drama. Click for whole review.

Nytheatre.com Review

These four amazing men create a dozen distinct characters, a dozen particular situations and locales out of thin air, including cracking pack ice, a ship at sea, a singing shower, a packed bus, comically terrifying garbage-can-clad powers-that-be, all impeccably executed. Click for whole review.

Edinburg Guide

The production captivates…a very talented company…Split Knuckle's polished production is physical and atmospheric…brings us back to the roots of storytelling. Click for whole review.

...as featured in American Theater Magazine May/June 2011

One strategy is to bypass traditional presenters entirely. Split Knuckle gained the favor of a multinational business with its show Endurance. Based on the story of explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, who kept 27 men alive for two years in the Antarctic, Endurance proved to be just the kind of artistic entertainment, complete with leadership themes, that resonated with Korn/Ferry International, a Los Angeles–based global executive recruiting firm. Click for whole review.

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Mission

Split Knuckle is a critically acclaimed company that creates dynamic, physical, visually striking theatre from simple materials.

Through imagination, text, and movement, we create vast landscapes, vivid characters, and epic stories.

We make powerful theatre engaging the audience and performers in collective acts of imagination. Using the expressive power of the human voice and body, we tell stories confronting the wonders and challenges of life in our world.

Split Knuckle is actively developing innovative theatre and we perform, direct, teach, and lead workshops in the USA, UK, Argentina, and other communities around the globe.

Our company members trained at the London International School of Performing Arts in the methods of Jacques Lecoq. We also bring our individual experiences from Shakespeare & Company, MFA acting programs around the USA, and many years professionally treading the boards.

We have two shows in rep and are actively devising new work.

Company

Seth Bloom

Seth Bloom is a street performer, mask-player, juggler, and mask-maker. His specialty, non-verbal slapstick comedy, has enabled him to perform around the world without a language barrier. He is the rare entertainer who performs in the street, creates critically acclaimed theatre, and develops social circus projects for children and adults in Afghanistan. He is the co-creator of The Acrobuffos, co-founder of Split Knuckle Theatre, and a long-time collaborator with the Mobile Mini Circus for Children, headquartered in Kabul, Afghanistan. Seth brings to his expertise his education at the London International School of Performing Arts (MFA), the Dell' Arte School of Physical Theatre, Wesleyan University, and the Ringling Brothers Clown College. He has worked--performing, directing, and/or teaching in over 16 countries.

Jason Bohon

Jason Bohon is a New York-based actor and director. He became a member of Split Knuckle in 2009, helping to create and perform in ENDURANCE. He was a Founder and Producing Artistic Director of 3 Sticks Theatre Company in Minneapolis from 2005-2009. He has also worked with the Tony-award winning Theatre de la Jeune Lune, Minneapolis Children's Theatre, Theater Latte Da, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, and Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. He holds an M.F.A. in Physical Theatre from the London International School of Performing Arts and a B.F.A. in Acting from the University of Central Missouri. He is a member of Actors Equity Association, Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab, the Society of American Fight Directors, and an associate member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.

Andrew Grusetskie

Andrew Grusetskieis a founding member of Split Knuckle Theatre and has created and performed in both Endurance and John Steinbeck's The Pearl. An Associate Artist with the New York-based ACTIVE EYE Theater Company, Andrew has appeared in its productions of Hard Lovin' Ever After, Woyzeck and Senjo, and wrote its adaptation of Dojoji, which premiered at the Cleveland Public Theater in 2004. Other New York credits include Billy Budd (Metropolitan Playhouse), Voyage of the Carcass (Stage 13), Corporate Carnival (Women's Project), and Life is a Dream (Edge Theater Company). Regional work includes Around the World in 80 Days (Westport Country Playhouse), The Mousetrap (Olney Theatre), Arabian Nights (Connecticut Repertory Theatre), School for Scandal and The Odyssey (McCarter Theatre), Proof, Stones in His Pockets and Rough Crossing (Northern Stage). TV: Law & Order. Andrew is a graduate of Yale University and the London International School of Performing Arts.

Juan Mora

Juan is a founding member of Split Knuckle Theatre and co-creator and original director of The Pearl. He's been performing and creating movement theatre since 1992. Past appearances include THE RIDE ACROSS LAKE CONSTANCE which premiered in the Philadelphia Fringe Festival in 2002 and NOTHING, an adaptation of Samuel Beckett's TEXTS FOR NOTHING, performed at Pennsylvania's Eastern State Penitentiary. He has been translating plays into Spanish since 1997. Juan currently lives in Buenos Aires, where he is co-founder of a Research Laboratory on Movement Theatre. He is also a volunteer for the Art of Living Foundation and a certified teacher of The Art of Living Course.

Michael Toomey

Michael is a founding member of Split Knuckle Theatre and co-creator and performer of The Pearl. Michael has been a member of the Nationally Acclaimed Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, MA since 1998 playing in such roles as: Macbeth (title role), Julius Caesar (Caesar/Octavious), Coriolanus (Brutus), Twelfth Night (Fabian) Hamlet New England Tour 2000(Polonius/Horatio), Henry V (Bardolph), Taming of the Shrew (Bianca) Merchant of Venice (Salerio) Triumph of Darkness (Grisben), Henry V New England Tour (French King/Nym) Michael has also appeared on PBS' Brush Up Your Shakespeare an Evening at the Pops (Mercutio) and BBC4 Radio American Heavy (Hank). Michael is a fight choreographer/teacher for the company and is Senior Education Artist for Shakespeare & Company's Education Department This program reaches over fifty thousand students a year. Michael has recently written/directed an adaptation of Shakespeare's long poem Venus and Adonis with an all female cast and is currently working on a clown show called Francis goes to War (this ain't the boy scouts anymore) Michael is a graduate from LISPA and holds an MFA in Lecoq based actor created theatre from Naropa University.

Eva Sirp

Eva is a founding member of Split Knuckle Theatre and co-creator and performer of The Pearl. Eva has appeared in productions in London, including An Enemy of the People, by Ibsen, (Union Theatre), King John, by Shakespeare (Grange Court Theatre) and Exit the King, by Ionesco, (Lion and Unicorn). She is a graduate of both Drama Studio Londonand the London International School of Performing Arts. She lives in London and apart from creating theatre teaches movement and improvisation.

Greg Webster

Greg Webster serves as the Artistic Director of Split Knuckle Theater Company and is also one of the company's founding members. Greg has worked as a performer, teacher, and choreographer from Broadway to the West End and has worked extensively in regional theaters throughout the United States as well as internationally. He is an Assistant Professor of Movement Theater at the professional actor training program at University of Connecticut and is responsible for teaching the pedagogy of the French theater master Jacques Lecoq. He is also the resident movement coach and fight Choreographer for the Connecticut Repertory Theater. Previously to his appointment at UCONN he was an instructor at the London International School of Performing Arts, of which he was also a graduate. He holds a B.A. in theater from Columbia College of Chicago and an M.F.A. in acting from the University of Missouri Kansas City. Among Greg's other interestest he is an accomplished Martial artist, Authentic Pilates instructor, Gyrotonic ® teacher and Personal trainer. He holds a black belt in Aikido and is a former Golden Gloves boxer.

Tour

Upcoming

Cafe Goma, University of Connecticut Storrs, April 27 2012
Athens, Greece, May 2012
Paris, France, Jun. 2012
Shakespeare and Company, Jun. 28 - Jul. 15 2012
Frankfurt, Germany, Sept. 2012
Texas A & M, November 2012
Barcelona, Spain, April 2013

Past

London, England Mar. 2012
Thailand Feb. 2012
Maastricht, Netherlands, Jan. 2012
New York, New York 2011
Brussels, Belgium, 2011
University of Connecticut, Storrs 2010
Ars Nova – ANT Fest, 2010
Shakespeare & Company, 2009
University of Connecticut, Storrs 2009
University of Connectictut, Storrs 2008
New Jersey State Theater, New Jersey 2008
Bucharest Romania B-FIT 2007
Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Scotland 2006
Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2006

Press

Nytheatre.com Review

American Theater Magazine

The Scotsman

The five performers work in impeccable harmony, bringing every moment of the story into perfect focus..an elegant, humorous and tremendously moving drama. Click for whole review.

Edinburg Guide

The production captivates…a very talented company…Split Knuckle's polished production is physical and atmospheric…brings us back to the roots of storytelling. Click for whole review.

Audience Feedback

Mesmerizing!

A tour de force! Elegantly choreographed with minimal props. The actors captivated the audience by representing a multitude of characters, both individuals and groups. The piano accompaniment and chanting were haunting, and the chorus narrative provided cohesiveness. The use of physical acting to depict underwater swimming, sleeping, storms was skillful and evocative. The actors displayed passion and an enormous range of versatility in the numerous characters they each played. They were utterly convincing. One of the most original plays we have seen - ever. Congratulations. Kirsty and Parents, France

Outstanding!

One of the best I've seen on the Fringe this year. The physicality is precise, the intentions clear and the staging elegant. Bravo! Richard Ballon, USA

Go see it.

This was one of the best shows that ive seen in the fringe this year. This show contains some exellent moments of physical theatre a displays the talents of the actors to multirole. The live music in the show had a touching effect on all the key moments in this stienbeck story. i recommend this play not only to fans of the novel but to anyone who enjoys good theatre. Ralph Thompson, United Kingdom

A must see!

My dad and i had read the book, but we couldnt remember much of it. We liked the play because the actors were very focused on the parts throughout and switched very fluidly between the main parts and other smaller parts. Simple but effective props and a bare set brought to life by the 5 actors and the piano accompaniment. The tiny studio made this a very intense and worthwhile experience. You get a chance to talk to the actors in the bar afterwards. Try to get a seat on the front row! Jane, Emily and Graham, United Kingdom

Devastatingly beautiful.

Split Knuckle bring to life the family, the community and the villans in a fantastically fluid fashon. The sense of space, time and place come acros very clearly, which is no mean feat. faithful to the story the play takes you on a devistatingly beautiful journey with a clear message to all of us. Simon Bonsall, Scotland

Gripping and beautiful.

I am a fan of Steinbeck and was interested to see this staging. This is a wonderful performance that translates the text and brings the audience into the world of the pearl. Simple staging and thoughtful effects together with the strong performers transformed the studio space at Hill Street Theatre. A must see in my opinion. Monica Olson, United Kingdom

Good adaptation.

This was a very good adaptation of Steinbeck's original book hitting all the key points. It is a story, which has lasted the test of time, and this performance did it justice. For those who do not know the story this is a very good introduction to the work. Well done! Poignant, thought provoking and simply very good Bob Corrieri, United Kingdom

A magical experience.

A flowing, intimate, surprisingly effective version of John Steinbeck's novel. Swimming underwater, climbing a mountain, weathering a storm and recreating a small village's life materialize in front of your eyes from one moment to the next, in a magical experience that stimulates the senses. I was surprised, entertained and moved. Alejo Canton, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Filmmaker

Unconventional storytelling.

A classic story with unconventional storytelling. A super production with only five performers and a few elements. Deep and witty, humorous and tragic, an emotional trip through the deep waters of humanity. Daniel Nofals, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Co-founder, Sur Despierto Dance Studio

...play as beautiful as a shining pearl.

The family, the town, the church, the rich and the poor. The water,the trees, the wind and the mountains. Greed, struggle, love…the whole world in a play as beautiful as a shining pearl. Lucila Gueron, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Co-founder, Sur Despierto Dance Studio

An honor.

Your show is an honor to my theater. José Mari Lopez, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Director and Founder, Kumis Teatro

Chapeau.

Chapeau! Thomas Prattki, London, England
Director, London Int'l School of Performing Arts

Workshops

Theater Workshops

KNOCK 'EM DEAD!

Split Knuckles' Approach to Theatre Creation

Saturday, April 9, 2011
6 hour workshop, 10-5 pm (1 hour lunch between 1-2 pm)
Please join us at The Tank Theater 354 W. 45th Street between 8th and 9th.

Based on our hit show Endurance, and inspired by the teachings of Jacques Lecoq, Split Knuckle introduces you to our unique approach for devising new work. Through physical exploration of imagery, characters, props, space, movement, and text, we will take you through an inventive, collaborative process for storytelling. We provide everything. Open to all levels of theatre practitioners--actors, directors, playwrights, dancers, and singers. Min 10/ Max 20. Brought to you by popular demand--register early!

Instructors | Seth Bloom and Jason Bohon
Come Get Your Knuckle's Bloody with Split Knuckle Theatre!
$65 bucks!

Neutral Mask

There are 3 masks: the one we think we are, the one we really are, and the one we hold in common. Jacques Lecoq

The Neutral Mask allows us to uncover universal truths of the body and storytelling. This full face mask does not permit speech. The performer must discover the dramatic action of the body: how passion travels through us as human beings. The Neutral Mask demands that you truly live in your environment and expand your awareness of what surrounds you. It is a mask that reveals what is truly human about all of us and what we share in common. The Neutral Mask has a strong base in the natural world and shows us our own personal neuroses so that we can become aware of who we are Only with a strong grounding in who we are may we honestly and convincingly take on the life of other characters. Working with the Neutral Mask helps to:

Develop a free, open and expressive body
Allow passion to enter the body in a dynamic way
Uncover universal human gestures
Heighten a sense of spatial awareness
Create a malleable and transformative body to construct the physical life of a character

Animals and Elements

In this work shop, we explore the greatest teachers of storytelling the natural world has to offer.

Actors and performers need to be great alchemists, and there is no greater resource for the study of transformation than the world of Elements and Animals. Many art forms reference animal or elemental states in relation to their creation. In life we often describe people in these ways: someone is "full of fire" or "cold as ice;" has "the heart of a lion" is "as " a She wolf". In this workshop we physicalize and take on the characteristics of these forms to help us to give a basis and departure point for creating the physicality and psychology of character.
This workshop will help you to:

Develop bold, physical and emotional characters
Teach how to charge characters and engage the space between them
Create dynamic bodies and spaces on stage
Develop voices and presences for different characters

Red Nose Clown

"The little mask of humanity reveals what is profoundly stupid and funny about you."

A Clown Workshop exploring the smallest mask in the world. We are all born funny. We come into the world with something unique, something off-balance. It's what drives our loved ones mad or makes them fall in love with us. It is the most intimate part of ourselves; it is why we get back up when we fall down. It's what makes us most human. It's what makes us poetic: physically, emotionally, spiritually, ecumenically. It is the Clown. The question is not "do we each have a clown?" or "can you find your clown?" The question is how much of yourself are you willing to reveal today--and celebrate in a very big way? Throughout history, the Clown has played a vital role in our communities. Cross-culturally, the Clown has been looked to in order to reveal what is most human about us all and to allow us to laugh about it. In these workshops, actors will explore what is most human about themselves--revealing it and celebrating it This workshop will help to:

Develop a strong sense of humor and play
Reveal what is uniquely stupid and funny about you
Explore the boundaries of the actor's comfort zone
Celebrate the glory of failure and the rebound therein

Character Masks, Comedia Del Arte, Larval Masks

"Explore one or many major masks of western Drama with us."

Masks have been used throughout the history of man. In theater training we use them to amplify and focus the body and the state of Play and to awaken our theatrical ancestors.

The Larval Mask comes from the ancient Carnival of Basel Switzerland this mask teaches us sensitivity, the art of listening and playfulness with your whole body.

The Character Mask does not speak and yet is a strong state of being. This allows us to focus on movements and predominant style of our time, which we call psychological realism

Comedia Del Arte
These magical half masks of the 17th and 18th century are the Mazirati of the Mask world. They demand great Comic timing and exploring the darker side of the Human sprit. These masks teach the skills of great improvisation and introduce the actor to major characters that repeat over and over again in the great texts of history.

Theatrical Creation

Based on our hit show ENDURANCE, and inspired by the teachings of Jacques Lecoq, Split Knuckle introduces you to our unique approach for devising new work.

Knock Em' Dead! Through physical exploration of imagery, characters, props, space, movement, and text, we will take you through an inventive, collaborative process for storytelling. We provide everything. Open to all levels of theatre practitioners--actors, directors, playwrights, dancers, and singers.

Corporate Workshops

We can adapt and customize any of our programs for use in corporate settings. We also partner with other organizations for corporate and leadership training and events.

Please contact us for further information.

Support

Split Knuckle Theatre is a 501(c)(3) registered not-for profit theatre company. All donations are tax deductible.

If you would like to support our company please contact us and/or send a check to Split Knuckle Theatre Company P.O. Box 121, Storrs, CT 06268 You may also donate via PayPal.

Our Contributors

Angels | $1000 and above donation

Margaret Brown
Kate Webber
Connecticut Bureau of Culture and Tourism
University of Connecticut
Jane Nichols
John and Pat Toomey
Greg and Teresa Neff-Webster
Sarah Hancock

Friends | $100 donation to SKTC

Elizabeth Aspenlieder
Lyn and Nathan Towne-Smith
Andrea Nouryeh
Kate Glidden
Jenny and David Jadow

Contributors | Give what you can

Emily Spiegelman
Thomas Berger
Steven and Beth Cope
Robert Biggs
Tori Rhoades
David Demke
William Cope
James Rice
Kathryn Webster

Contact

Join our mailing list!

+1 347 868 7582
P.O. Box 365, New York, NY 10018
info@splitknuckletheatre.org

Site designed by Rebecca Brayman, Lilian Chen (Design Center). Updated by Chip Singh, Daryl Wu, and Jucelle Lim.

Endurance

Trapped in Antartica with no hope of rescue, the great British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton kept 27 men alive for two years in the most inhospitable climate on earth.

Ninety-five years later, in the worst economic meltdown since the Great Depression, Hartford insurance man Walter Spivey, struggling to justify his recent promotion and save his employees jobs, relives Shackleton's story.

Can one of the greatest leaders in human history inspire him to conquer the corporate world?

The Pearl

A classic story with unconventional storytelling. Five performers create a potent world of characters and images. Deep and witty, humorous and tragic, The Pearl is an emotional trip through the deep waters of humanity.