Play Should Be at the Heart of Education" - SPLAT! Director Jack Kelly on Art, Chaos and Kids

Two artists, one tidy and one messy, stumble their way through art history in SPLAT! - a joyful, wordless theatre show celebrating creativity, collaboration, and play. With visual gags, famous artworks recreated live on stage, and a huge dose of physical comedy, the show has been delighting audiences of all ages across the UK. We caught up with director Jack Kelly to talk slapstick, left-brain vs right-brain thinking, and why play belongs at the heart of education - for kids and adults alike.

What can you tell us about SPLAT! in your own words?

SPLAT! is a riotous celebration of creativity and play.  It’s a journey of two artists; one tidy and the other messy, stumbling through the history of art learning to embrace their opposites and work together. It features famous artworks created live on stage and a lot of physical comedy and mess! There is no language in the show so it’s accessible for those who are deaf and those for whom English is not their first language.  It’s fun for all the family - very small children enjoy it because it’s very sensory and full of colour,  the slapstick seems to go down well with everyone and 8-year-olds right up to 80-year-olds get a kick out of guessing the artworks.  But you don’t need to know your Caravaggio’s’ from your Kahlo’s to enjoy this show.  It’s for everyone who likes colour, play and fun.    

Can you describe the relationship between the two central characters and how they reflect different sides of the brain?

We have Tidy and Messy.  They loosely represent the two hemispheres of the brain.  Tidy is the left side; analytical, logical, ordered whereas Messy is the right side; creative, intuitive, spontaneous.  The trajectory of the show is the two characters learning that to be truly creative, you have to embrace both sides.  Eventually after a fair bit of antagonism they learn to work together and have a lot of fun in the process.  

You collaborated with deaf artist and performer Brian Duffy on the show. What did his perspective bring to the process?

Duffy has been deaf since the age of 3 so he has a very strongly defined visual perspective on the world which is an amazing asset to have on a show all about art. The level of detail he brought,  little things he noticed in paintings that added that extra element of recognition was absolutely fantastic.  Add to that he’s an incredible physical performer in his own right so he was able to really refine some of what we were doing.  I have worked with Duffy a number of times and it’s always such a joy, he raises everyone’s game.  

You’ve described the show as “a celebration of play.” What role do you think play should have in education – and why is it so often overlooked?

For me I think play should be at the heart of education.  Everything should be built around it. Play is how children make sense of the world; it’s a way to explore, experiment, take risks and make mistakes in a safe way.  These are essential skills that everyone needs. 

A saying that I love is, ‘You don’t stop playing because you get old, you get old because you stop playing’. 

I think it’s often overlooked through fear.  It’s seen as silly, frivolous, not a sensible use of time.  Whereas I think children are naturally curious, they want to learn. If we let them lead and let them play, they would thrive. There’s loads of evidence to back this up, it’s something we adults need to work into our daily lives too. I think the world might be a calmer, friendlier place if we all played more.    

If you could invite three artists – living or dead – to come and watch SPLAT!, who would you choose and why?

Oh, this is a brilliant question! I love it! Hmm, it’s a tough one to answer though.  I did try to invite the very much alive Grayson Perry to see the show, but he hasn’t got back to us yet.  Though if I can bring people back from the past then I think…well I’d love to find the first human to ever daub something on a wall. For them to see what they started that would be pretty cool. Then I’d have Van Gogh as we recreate one of his works in the show, the show’s pretty funny and I think he could do with a laugh. Then I’d bring back Frida Kahlo as we also have one of her works recreated in the show.  She was an incredible person, and I think she would be a brilliant audience member.  

What’s next for the SPLAT! show, and your theatre company OftheJackel?

SPLAT! has gone from strength to strength. People seem to love it where ever it goes.  We would love to take it on an international tour, and we are actually talking to some TV companies about an adaptation. It’s very early days but stay tuned!  Hopefully SPLAT! will continue to reach audiences far and wide.  As for OftheJackel we have our new family show Plant that will be out touring in 2027 and a show for grown-ups, a new adaptation ‘Countess Dracula’ coming to London this autumn.  

SPLAT! is currently on tour in the UK and will be visiting venues in Kent, Essex, Hampshire, Surrey, Devon, Cambridgeshire and London among others. For tickets and more information, visit www.ofthejackel.co.uk/splat