Working in a Splendid Style

Splendid’s style can be described as theatrical, politically engaged and audience-centred. We use actor-led theatrical tools to tell stories and ask our audience interesting questions. We love precise chorus work, strong physical characterisation, a well-thought-out episodic structure, direct address, original songs, and jokes both good and bad.

In addition to our regular tours, we are also available to come and deliver workshops on all the elements that make up our style. As such, we have a lot to offer as a starting point for students’ own work. All you need to work in a Splendid style are some willing participants, plenty of energy, and a good story to tell.

As well as booking touring productions perfect for live review, clients have been using Splendid as an influential practitioner, as a good example of how to creatively adapt existing scripts (and to view a contemporary adaptation in relation to its historical context), and students have had great success devising in a Splendid Style. As a company that specialises in working with and for young people, we aspire to be a genuinely useful and dynamic resource for drama teaching, and so this section will tell you a bit more about what we have to offer if you’d like to work in a Splendid Style.

Students from Stonyhurst College performing Splendid’s ‘Jason & the Argonauts’

“The students are absolutely loving this, it’s so much fun to perform.”
Louise Cottage, Head of Drama, Duke of York’s Royal Military School

“Access to a back catalogue of work via DVD, access to live theatre through annual tours and a clear and well defined theory of practice (via workshops and books) all combine to make Splendid the obvious choice for centres following Edexcel at AS and A2 level who are looking for new ideas and directions. Both students and teachers have really enjoyed process and performance while working under the influence of Splendid”
Simon Jones, Curriculum Manager Drama, Wyedean School.

Students working in a Splendid Style

Brighton & Hove High School, ‘Dr Faustus’

“We had great fun creating our performance, some snapshots: the devils were rocking out to AC/DC ‘Highway to hell’ as the audience entered, and they greeted the audience and showed them their seats etc.

The puppets for Good and Bad Angel were a couple of soft toys I borrowed from my children: a dragon from ‘Mulan’ for the bad angel and ‘Timmy’ from shaun the sheep for the good angel. These also doubled up as Alexander the Great and Roxane with an added wig and outfit (instead of using audience members).

In the Pope scene the Pope held up ‘delicious’ food and drink, such as a Pot Noodle (curry flavour of course), a McDonald’s bag and a DietCoke. We added slapstick music to the fight between Wagner and the Clown, and the Duchess ‘forgot’ that she was supposed to be pregnant, so hastily had to add a cushion to her costume.

The end music for the curtain call was Guns’n’Roses ‘Paradise City’. We went with a rock-theme as you can tell! The audience absolutely loved it – and were very complimentary of your adaptation. As always, I thoroughly enjoyed using your material, and the students were certainly stretched and challenged by it too, so very successful all round!”
Marina Ljunqvist-Edwards, Head of Drama, Brighton & Hove High School

 

Rangiora New Life School, New Zealand, ‘Medea’

“My seven Yr. 10s (13/14 year olds) performed your adapted ‘Medea’ last night to a small but appreciative audience. There was laughter and discussion about the play afterwards. The students loved doing it. A few of them have gained confidence through doing it and that is great. The ‘Grans’ did a rap with one doing beat-box for the ‘Revenge’ song, to which the audience applauded. They remembered to have fun and did so, so well.

Thank you very, very much for generously providing us with such an excellent play to perform and for your cool reworking of the powerful ‘Medea’ story. The Company rocks.”
Ann Madgin, Rangiora New Life School, New Zealand

 

Stonyhurst College, ‘Jason & the Argonauts’

“‘Jason and the Argonauts’ is a drama teachers’ dream show: incredibly simple to stage (with sufficient creative challenges to make the process hugely satisfying) and extremely effective and enjoyable for cast members and audience alike. We had enormous fun creating the piece and I’m convinced that the members of Drama Workshop who participated in this production left the process with improved skills as actors and members of a creative ensemble.”
Johanna Egar, Head of Drama, Stonyhurst College

 

Wyedean School and Sixth Form Centre, ‘The Trial’ and ‘Antigone’ 

“This academic year we’ve made Splendid our practitioner of choice for both Unit 2 – Text in performance at AS level and Unit 3 – Exploration for Dramatic Performance at A2.

September – December
In Unit 3 we made Splendid our key practitioner as we could readily access theory/practice and live theatre by means of the DVDs of Splendid productions. Our students were able to directly link the influence on their own performance work and it allowed them to root their rational and intended experience for their audience in a style which has this at its core. This proved to be very beneficial in the practical and written aspects of this unit.

January – March
In Unit 2 (Section B) we used the Splendid adaptations of ‘Antigone’ and ‘The Trial’. Both texts offer the potential for multi role, physical characterisation, ensemble work and song – all elements which fully fit the demands of performance work at AS level. The thrill from students who were able to blend “tickle and slap” into the experience for their audience (an examiner) is in no small part down to the quality of the dialogue and the flexibility these texts afford to varying group performance sizes (from 3-9) A really useful aspect when considering texts.”
Simon Jones, Curriculum Manager Drama, Wyedean School, Chepstow

SPLENDID STREAMING TRAINING VIDEOS SPECIAL OFFER!

Can’t get enough Splendid streaming? Rent more, save more with our special streaming offer.

Rent any 2 of our streaming training titles ‘Splendid Style: Being Splendid‘, ‘Devising Political Theatre online CPD‘ or ‘Practical Guide to Brecht online CPDand save £5. Rent all 3 and save £10!

The discount is automatically calculated during checkout and applies to instant streaming access and access codes purchased for other users.

Please note: this offer only applies to rentals purchased in the same transaction. 

A4 & A3 size 4-pack discounts

Save money on A4-sized Mind Maps and Top Tip Sheets and A3-sized Mind Maps!

A4 Mind Map/Top Tip 4-pack: £40 (choose any 4 titles save £8 – combinations of Mind Maps and Top Tips are fine)
A3 Mind Map 4-pack: £70 (choose any 4 titles, save £10)

Scale up your discounts! Choose titles in multiples of 4 for best price, eg. buy 16 x A4 titles, save £40! 

Discount is applied to your cart automatically.

Prices

Digital & Physical Production Resources

Streaming video rentals:
£7.50 for 30 days’ access
£35.00 for 1 year’s access (includes optional DVD, and multiple title offer applies)

Scripts (physical product): £15
Education Packs (digital & physical): £5 /£12

Special offer Production Streaming Super Packs (1-year stream, optional DVD, script & education pack by title): £55

Special offer Multiple title discounts: 2xtitles £60 / 3xtitles £85 / 4xtitles £110 / 5xtitles £140 / 6xtitles £160 / 7xtitles £180 / 8xtitles £195 / 9xtitles £210 / 10xtitles £230 / 11xtitles £245

 

Mind Maps

available in 3 sizes, laminated for extra protection

A4: £12  / A3: £20  / A2: £30

Performance Skills Top Tip Sheets

laminated, A4 size only

Special offer Mind Map 4-pack 

Any 4 x A4 Mind Maps and/or Tip Sheets: £40
Any 4 x A3 Mind Maps: £70

Splendid Streaming Training videos

Splendid Style: Being Splendid £35 for 1 year’s access

Online CPDs: £20 for 30 days’ access
Devising Political Theatre online CPD
Practical Guide to Bertolt Brecht online CPD

Special offer rent any 2 training video titles, save £5 – rent any 3 titles save £10

Discounts are applied automatically to your shopping cart. Prices include all applicable taxes and shipping costs worldwide.
More information: Ordering and Paying

Multiple 1yr stream/DVD discount

There’s a discount for buying multiple 1yr streams/DVDs in a single order – add more to your cart and save more!

1 title: £35
2 titles: £60
3 titles: £85
4 titles: £110
5 titles: £140
6 titles: £160
7 titles: £180
8 titles: £195
9 titles: £210
10 titles: £230
11 titles: £245

The discount applies to all production titles, and will be calculated automatically when you check out.

Please note: This offer does not apply to Super Packs (DVD/Stream, script and education pack offer)