A new play aimed at reducing knife crime has been performed at a school in North Ayrshire.

Justice secretary Michael Matheson was among the crowd for The Balisong at Ardrossan Academy.

Led by national agency YouthLink Scotland as part of the No Knives Better Lives programme, The Balisong is a collaboration between youth work charity Fast Forward and Strange Town theatre company.

It was written by Jennifer Adam and developed in collaboration with young people.

In the play, three teenagers discuss the circumstances leading to an incident where their friend stabs someone and whether they could have done more to stop it.

Mr Matheson said: "While I was struck by the effectiveness of drama in conveying this important message, I was equally struck by the conversations that took place among pupils immediately afterwards."

Head of Ardrossan Academy, Jamie Milligan said: "We are delighted to welcome the Cabinet Secretary to our school.

"The No Knives Better Lives programme is one that we support as a school and this drama performance helps to reinforce our key messages to young people and families about responsible citizenship, violence reduction and promoting positive relationships in school and in society at large."

The play is touring 64 secondary schools across Scotland and will reach up to 12,000 pupils.