
Ozymandias
by Jack Nurse and Robbie Gordon
A contemporary story inspired by Percy Shelley’s 19th century poem of the same name. In a town that is just like your town, there is a group of pals that are just like you, just like me, just like us. One night following their exam results, in the midst of a pandemic, this group of ordinary young people hatch a daring plan to do something extraordinary.
Created in collaboration with young people through the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s Widening Access to the Creative Industries Department including Cameron McHugh, Roisin Barry, Jack Stewart, Kara Louise Cassells, Piotr Janski, Stevie Michaela Differ, Gregor McMillan, Molly Bryson, Sean Russell, Aidan Kerr
This is a play about going on an adventure with your pals. This is a play about taking action. This a play about standing up to power, oppression and injustice.
A play for anyone that has spent the last few months missing being with their mates; anyone who got results for an exam they never sat; anyone that has spent the last few months wanting to do something about the state of the world.
Age: 16+
Cast size: Any. An important note for casting the characters in the piece: Alex is a female person of colour; Joe is a white male and the rest is up to you. Feel free to change Tattie or any of the other supporting characters’ gender pronouns depending on your group.
Warnings: Swearing, suicide and self-harm references
About the Artists

Jack and Robbie are co-founders of Wonder Fools, a theatre company that creates contemporary new work based on a diverse range of current and historical real-life stories. From these stories the company have taken theatre productions, performance installations and workshops to over 10,000 people across Scotland, with over 15,000 more engaging with their digital work online.
To date they have written and produced three full productions: McNeill of Tranent: Fastest Man in the World (2014-2015), an autobiographical show performed by retired athlete George McNeill, who in 1972 was the fastest man in the world despite never being allowed to compete in the Olympic or Commonwealth Games; The Coolidge Effect (2016-2020) an interactive performance that examines how pornography affects our mental health, relationships and sexual experiences using a blend of storytelling, poetry and science, which is now available as an audio play; and 549: Scots of the Spanish Civil War (2018–2020) telling the true stories of four miners from Prestonpans that volunteered as part of the International Brigade.