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Cringe
Ross MacKay and Scottish Theatre Producers
Scotland
10-15 yrs

Curriculum for Excellence Resources

Cringe is a sharp and funny look at the chaos of growing up, fitting in and finding your voice. The show opens up rich discussions around friendship, empathy and self-confidence. It is an engaging and relevant experience that resonates deeply with the challenges young people face today.

  • Health & Wellbeing: exploring friendship, resilience and empathy, helping pupils reflect on feelings of isolation, belonging and courage (HWB 2-01a, HWB 3-01a, HWB 2-05a, HWB 3-05a)
  • Literacy and English: developing listening, talking and critical thinking skills through engagement with layered storytelling and character perspective
    (LIT 2-07a, LIT 3-07a, LIT 2-09a, LIT 3-09a)
  • Expressive Arts: encouraging creative interpretation and performance appreciation, highlighting how story, movement and emotion combine in live theatre (EXA 2-12a, EXA 3-12a)
  • Technologies: exploring digital media and theatre production, connecting creative storytelling with real-world applications of sound and stagecraft (TCH 2-04b, TCH 3-04b)
Class Stage
P6-S3
Curriculum Links
Expressive Arts
Health and Wellbeing
Literacy and English
Technology
Scottish Storytelling Centre
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Duration: 60 min
Capacity: 98
Seating: Theatre seating
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Scottish Storytelling Centre
43-45 High St, Edinburgh, EH1 1SR
  • Sunday 31 May 19:00
  • Monday 1 June 10:00
  • Monday 1 June 13:00
  • Tuesday 2 June 10:00
  • Tuesday 2 June 13:00
  • Wednesday 3 June 10:00

In association with Imaginate with support from OneRen.

It’s Reid Aitken’s first day of high school and he just wants to vanish. When an embarrassing incident spirals into a legend known only as “The Creeping Snake,” Reid finds himself at the centre of the cruellest joke in school.

Suddenly, the question isn’t how to disappear – it’s how to survive, and who will stand beside you when everything feels impossible.

Fast-paced, funny, and painfully true, Cringe is a story about surviving the minefield of growing up, standing up to bullies, and finding the friend who makes you braver than you ever thought you could be.

Note to teachers: There was a rehearsed reading of a section of the script at the 2025 Festival which was received extremely positively. You can watch an extract below. 
“So beautiful, complex and nuanced, with just the right dose of humour.” Delegate feedback

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