TANGLED FEET, POLKA THEATRE & THE CULTURE TRUST, LUTON ANNOUNCE THE WORLD PREMIERE OF A CLASS OF YOUR OWN
A show for ages 8-12, inspired by working with those excluded from school, exploring what sticks to you as you grow up, what you can shake off and what happens when we take time to shine a light inside.
Following the success of Tangled Feet’s Need a Little Help, Butterflies and Belongings (nominated for two OFFIES and winner of a Fantastic for Families award Audience Impact and Innovation Award) the company return partnering with Polka Theatre and The Culture Trust, Luton for the next instalment of their transformative theatre for young people with the world premiere of A Class of Your Own at Polka Theatre: Oct 3 - 4, and The Hat Factory Arts Centre, Luton: Oct 10.
Everyone has things bubbling inside them.
Some things are confusing, some are exciting and others are a total surprise!
Do we let them burst out or keep them in? What if it’s not what anyone wants to hear?
What if it’s a problem? What if people think I’m a problem?
How can I release the bubbles before I pop?
With their exhilarating physical theatre and stunning video projection, Tangled Feet reveal the wisdom we can learn from those excluded from school and how the labels we’re given don’t have to define us.
The production has used a model of Tangled Feet’s therapeutic theatre, which involves working with a targeted group of young people as Creative Advisors over a long period of time. Over the past 18 months, the company has worked with a group of 16-18 year olds with a shared history of attending Pupil Referral Units (PRU’s) to create A Class Of Your Own. Through workshops, space for reflection, exploration of metaphor and a safe and robust feedback methodology their ideas and lived experience help shape the play.
Directed by Tangled Feet’s Co-Artistic Director Nathan Curry, in this production Tangled Feet's unique physical and visual storytelling style is complemented by integrated video design by award-winning designer Gillian Tan. We hope that this collaboration will highlight the power of contemporary theatre practice for the young people watching.
Director Nathan Curry (and Co-Artistic Director of Tangled Feet) said: “It’s been a real pleasure to get to know and work with the Creative Advisors over the last year.. Their lived experience have made them our experts and they’ve offered a wealth of knowledge on what it's like to be labelled when you are young. As young people go through huge changes towards the end of Primary School and the start of Secondary School, and their identities are under huge pressure, I think the message about the effects of labelling others and labelling yourself will be important for everyone. I am hugely excited to be able to centre our Creative Advisors and their (often unheard) stories into a really ambitious theatrical design with incredible video design, music and ensemble acting - there are some really stunning moments.”
Tangled Feet’s Lead Dramatherapist Alex Ramsden said: “Therapeutic theatre is created with and for a specific community or 'client group'. It centres the lived experiences of the co‑creators, giving them genuine agency over how their stories are shaped, shared, and witnessed. The audience isn’t just watching — they’re invited to step into the world they’ve witnessed, whether through reflection or by literally entering the space of the performance. It becomes a dialogue rather than a one‑way experience; instead of remaining passive spectators, people become active participants in the work.”
Creative Team
Director: Nathan Curry Dramaturg and Writer in the Room: Shireen Mula Designer: Amanda Mascarenhas Composer and Sound Designer: Guy Connelly Video & Lighting Designer: Gillian Tan Lighting Associates: Jodi Rabinowitz and Sam Walsh Assistant Director: Louise Rose Executive Producer: Debo Adebayo Production Manager: Pete Rikards Stage Manager: Adam Robertson Assistant Stage Manager: Ruby Sevink-Johnston Cast: Emily Eversden, Farrell Cox, Tobias Adetula, zanni CT Therapists: Alex Ramsden, Isatu Turay, Lerryn Whitfield Development supported by: Jesse Bateson, Jayda Kariuki, Sarah Goddard, Jaheem Pinder Creative Advisors: Breaze Ford, Tobi Habeeb, Zahra Kibrya, Charleigh Goucher, Eden Tallis, Aaliyah McDowald
