Great Peterborough Cringe Exchange: Free Storytelling & Movement Workshop

What Is The Great Peterborough Cringe Exchange?

A brand-new, community-powered performance made from real awkward stories. These workshops are the first step in building a funny, moving, and uniquely human solo theatre show for audiences who don’t often see themselves on stage.

Ever blurted something weird, slipped in public, or just lived through a painfully awkward moment? We want to hear about it—and help turn it into art.

Join us at The Key Theatre, Peterborough for a series of free, accessible, and joyfully awkward workshops exploring the power of cringe. Your stories will help shape a bold new solo theatre show celebrating everything embarrassing—and everything human.

As part of The Great Peterborough Cringe Exchange, Jenna Unwin and Kate Marsh will lead three playful, movement and conversation-based workshops that explore shame, self-expression, and the joyful absurdity of human failure. Designed for both performers and non-performers, this session uses improvisation, conversation and physicality to transform personal cringe into a creative outlet.

Dates & Times:

• Sunday 10 August // 2PM–5PM
• Tuesday 16 September // 5PM–8PM
• Sunday 26 October // 2PM–5PM

Each workshop includes:

• Gentle warm-up & somatic movement session. Movement is improvisation-based and accessible – you can participate as much or as little as feels good for you. There’s no “right” way to move, and no expectations to perform or be watched.
• Group conversation around shame, self-growth, awkward moments, and how we connect through embarrassment, framed with humour and curiosity.
• Break (with snacks!)
• Final “Dance It Out” session – a chance to process and celebrate what we’ve explored through music and movement.

This is a space where feeling weird is welcome. Whether you're sharing a memory, laughing at someone else’s (kindly), or quietly reflecting, you’ll be part of a bigger exchange of stories and solidarity.

Participants can choose to donate a story to inspire material for Jenna’s solo comedy-theatre show supported by Arts Council England – but only with full consent, and anonymity where requested.

About the faciltator - Jenna Unwin

Jenna is a performance artist from rural Cambridgeshire. She trained with the National Youth Dance Company and Northern School of Contemporary Dance, later touring with DV8 and Jasmin Vardimon 2. She’s performed across the UK and internationally, including at Brighton Dome, The Lowry, and Cambridge University’s West Road Concert Hall.

As a dyspraxic dancer and fierce advocate for movement as embodied storytelling, Jenna’s work blends dance, theatre, verbatim, and comedy. She’s currently exploring: “What’s the best way to tell this story?”—and this project is her latest experiment in just that.

Jenna will be joined by guest co-facilitator Kate Marsh.

Can’t make a workshop? Look out for our Cringe Stickers in toilets across Peterborough! Scan the QR code to anonymously submit your cringiest moment.

This project is supported using National Lottery Project Grant funding through Arts Council England and The Key Theatre, Peterborough

Keep in Touch:

Follow the journey @CringeExchange or email us at amVubmF1bndpbiB8IGdtYWlsICEgY29t

#CringeExchange #PeterboroughCringe

Cringe is universal. Laughter is connection. Join us in turning awkward into art.

Also check out other Arts events in Peterborough, Workshops in Peterborough, Theatre events in Peterborough.