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CLASS
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CLASS
by Kirsty Eyre

"...challenging the essence of class..."

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Edinburgh shows:
14th-27th August

London previews:
17th-21st July

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Kirsty's Blog:
The story of CLASS

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News: 3rd September 2007

First Class Reception

The cast of CLASS were overwhelmed by the positive response of festival audiences to their poignant drama. Over the thirteen night run, CLASS entertained over 700 festival-goers with its special blend of pole-dancing, biting comedy and perspectives on the role of class in today's world. Audiences have empathised with the convincing characters in this pacy, well-delivered drama which carefully strips away the surface layers of their deceptions to reveal the true characters beneath.

News: 23rd August 2007

Positive Feedback

Reviewers are filing their reports on CLASS, and as they do so we are highlighting them on our Reviews page. We value feedback from reviewers and audiences alike as it all goes to help improve CLASS, so you'll find feedback and further links from both on our Reviews page. We hope these comments will help you decide to come to see CLASS, although they are of course one person's perspective on our production. We hope the rest of the information here will help you make up your own mind. See you at CLASS soon.

News: 18th August 2007

CLASS On-Air

Festival FM 87.7 (www.festivalfm.net), the Festival's own radio station, featured CLASS on its Saturday morning peak-time show today. Presenter, Kim Renne interviewed CLASS's author and director, Kirsty Eyre and male-lead Elisha Sessions (Nigel), discussing what CLASS is about (in both senses of the word), and how well the show has been received in Edinburgh.

Four of the cast (Elisha Sessions, Kate Thurlwell, Nina Meghji, Mitra Etminani) then treated listeners to a sneak-preview of CLASS, by performing a funny and poignant scene addressing what class means to a handful of characters whose lives come together around the bedside of the hospitalised Nigel.

News: 15th August 2007

Classy Window Dressing for Opening Show

The cast of CLASS brought Edinburgh's Princes Street to a stand-still yesterday, outside Ann Summers shop. Nigel's girls took the place of the showroom dummies to liven up the window display, catching passers-by and window-shoppers by surprise with a wink and a smile, as they posed in costumes supplied by Ann Summers. Flyers, featuring photographs of the girls and other cast members, were also in high demand.

Some of the throng may well have been tempted to the join the first night audience for CLASS at Augustine's (Venue 152) at 8.30pm.

The press were there to capture the event:

The Scotsman: Photo. "Class at Augustine's"

Metro: Front page photo. "They're in a glass of their own..."
Click the photos for a larger version

Daily Record: Photo. "IT'S SUMMERS TIME: FESTIVAL-goers were treated to a saucy eyeful..."
Click here [or see a cached copy]

News: 10th August 2007

Take a peep at CLASS - video preview

Hot from the cutting room comes our video preview - get a taster of the action in CLASS. Our video (in QuickTime format) is available for download from our right-hand menu.

News: 5th August 2007

"First CLASS" ticket to Edinburgh

Well, well, well… we did it!

We sold out every night at our London preview week and got a great review! CLASS was LOVED by all.

There was always a risk that by trimming a sell-out show for an Edinburgh Fringe audience, it could lose something and become ‘Second Class’. However the general feeling and overwhelming positive feedback suggested that it was a lean, mean, well-oiled machine - racy, pacy, slick and slender.

We picked up our five stars. We picked up a fantastic review and we picked up Network Theatre’s best selling show ever award: a great boost on our way to Edinburgh.

All we need now is to deliver a classy show in Edinburgh, where CLASS hits the stage on Tuesday 14th August. Well done to all. And for those who missed out, come and see us in Edinburgh!

News: 2nd August 2007

Great Reviews for CLASS Previews

The reviews are in for the 2007 previews of CLASS at London's Network Theatre. With great feedback from our sell-out audiences, and a full review from Mark Aspen, CLASS looks forward to continued success in Edinburgh. The new review and audience feedback are available to download - just click on the item you need in our right-hand menu. Photos from the London previews are available in our photo gallery - if you need hi-res versions, please e-mail us at info@class-stage.co.uk .

News: 23rd July 2007

London Previews sell-out

CLASS has completed a sell-out run of previews in London. We've had lots of great feedback from our audiences, and we'd love to hear from you if you saw the show - please drop us a line at info@class-stage.co.uk . We'll be publishing a review shortly.

News: 16th July 2007

BT features CLASS

BT featured CLASS and Kirsty in an article on their website, as Kirsty was working for them at the time. [see a cached copy]

News: 6th July 2007

Interview with Kirsty Eyre

We have released an interview with Kirsty Eyre, writer and director of CLASS. We've also updated our Cast Biogs, and converted Word documents to PDF for convenience. Just click on the item you need in our right-hand menu.

News: 6th June 2007

EdFringe Programme Launch
and updated CLASS press pack

The Edinburgh Fringe programme will launch on 8th June 2007, so we have updated our CLASS press pack with further press and media material to download. Just click on the item you need in our right-hand menu.

Media Release, 18th May 2007:
C to the L to the ASS: CLASS! Does it really exist?

Photos accompanying the release of 18th May 2007

Cast Biographies, with thumbnail photos

Crew Biographies, with thumbnail photos

Review of 2006 World Premiere, with photos

[Ends]

News: 30th May 2007

Ann Summers and CLASS

CLASS is pleased to announce that Ann Summers will be providing Nigel's girls with their costumes for our London and Edinburgh performances. As well as providing the girls with some of the sexiest gear on the planet, it means that you too can own the very same outfits by going to AnnSummers.com

We would like to thank Ann Summers for all their help with this exclusive arrangement with CLASS. Watch this space for some exciting joint events with Ann Summers outlets in both London and Edinburgh.

[Ends]

Media Release: 18th May 2007

C to the L to the ASS: CLASS! Does it really exist?

What class are you? Does anybody give a damn? Are ‘classpirations’ a thing of the past? These days isn’t Class more about where you buy your biscuits from and whether or not you’re a Chav?

CLASS – written and directed by Kirsty Eyre – explores what class means to a handful of people whose lives come together through nasty Nigel’s downmarket strip joint, Class. Nigel’s double life is falling apart. To his partner, the über-classy Elise, he runs an upmarket gastro-gallery attracting top notch clientele. To his girls, he’s the Yank, who pimps their flesh to society’s undesirables whilst charging them an arm and a leg.

Can Nigel convince Elise he runs his mate’s award winning gastro-gallery? Moreover, can he convince her to marry him? After all, she’s so much better than him, isn’t she? Does an understanding of dinner etiquette and a good education give you a green card to ‘class’ regardless of whether you cheat or lie? And just who exactly is lying? Nigel’s dancers unravel his web of lies to expose all.

This bitter sweet comedy takes a wry stroll through the myriad of questions challenging the essence of Class. Could it be more vanilla than herbal? Could a foul mouthed stripper on the breadline have more Class than a high class charity working lady? Class’s lasses, a gritty five-some, contrast with Elise, the apple of Nigel’s eye, to take us on a journey from fishnets to fish-knives.

CLASS - a London box office sell-out - is loosely based on the real life experiences of Kirsty Eyre, from her hen-do pole-dancing lessons in Edinburgh to her ski season in Courchevel. Kirsty has created a thought provoking first class production, which addresses conflicting personal ethics through the medium of comedy. CLASS is a fully three-dimensional play: entertaining, thoughtful, and, well ... ... classy.

CLASS will run from Tuesday 14th to Monday 27th August 2007 at 8.30pm, excluding Monday 20th.

CLASS will appear in the Studio at Augustine's (Venue 152) on the George IV Bridge, situated in the heart of Edinburgh's Old Town, just minutes around the corner from the Fringe Office on the Royal Mile.

Tickets are £8, or £6.50 for concessions, and are available from
the Paradise Green Box Office or the
Edinburgh Fringe Box Office from Monday 11th June 2007

For information on CLASS, please contact info@class-stage.co.uk or speak to us via the EdFringe press office.

[Ends]

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Media Release
5th August 2007
(PDF, 17k)

2007 London
Review
(PDF, 61k)

2007 Audience
Feedback
(PDF, 29k)

Interview with
Kirsty Eyre
writer & director
(PDF, 156k)

Crew Biogs
(PDF, 138k)

Cast Biogs
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Media Release
18th May 2007
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