Our Work
PAST WORK
Since 2006, Bounce has worked with over 10,000 children and young people across South West London and beyond. We’ve shared our work at The National Archives, Saatchi Gallery, Museum of London, Saatchi Gallery, Soho Theatre, Rose Theatre and hundreds of community spaces. We've made theatre in hospice gardens, on doorsteps, in galleries and school halls. These are some of the projects that have shaped us.
Snowed In (2025)
A production that marked a turning point for Bounce. The artistic team were coached by a Sensory Occupational Therapist and Consultant Speech Therapist to reimagine their relationship with script, movement and space. Our ambition being to create a theatre production were accommodations were written into the aesthetic rather than attached to the production.
Shaped us by reconnecting with rehearsal-based making and rethinking post-pandemic theatre.
Dear Children (2020)
A tiny, professionally performed Christmas show touring 300 doorsteps in Wandsworth, raising £5,000 for a local food bank.
Shaped us by reminding us of the hope a story can bring in dark times.
Story Club (2020)
DIY creative zines for children and older people, reaching 11,000 weekly recipients through schools, foodbanks, and community groups.
Shaped us by teaching us to create art from everyday objects and think about accessibility at scale.
SCAR (2019)
Youth-led performance exploring mental and physical health, performed at The National Archives, Rose Theatre, Kingston Hospital, and other venues.
Shaped us as our first project where the writer collected testimonies directly from young people during visual art workshops to help them access language.
Urban Art Stories (2014)
Mixed media project celebrating urban art heritage, culminating in exhibition, performance installation, gig, and workshops at Saatchi Gallery.
Shaped us by pioneering hybrid theatre-visual arts projects and a new direction for our work.
Butterfly Stories (2010)
Sensory theatre project for children and families in the garden at Shooting Star Hospice.
Shaped us by teaching that theatre doesn’t need to exist within four walls.
“We don’t go out very much. It was a pleasure to know we would be fine.”
OUR STORY
2006-2011: Foundations
2006
Bounce Theatre founded by Louise Pendry and friends around a kitchen table.
2007
Directed Dramatic Edge, theatre production for primary and secondary showcases in Richmond upon Thames.
2008
Commissioned by Hounslow Council for after-school drama clubs.
2009
Launched Creative Mums, supporting mothers to connect through the arts.
2010
Created Butterfly Stories at Shooting Star Hospice.
2011
Arts Council commissioned Be Creative Be Well on the Meadows Estate, Hounslow, supporting wellbeing through the arts.
With several years of community projects, commissions, and productions under our belt, Bounce became established in participatory theatre work.
2012-2016: Growth & Heritage Projects
2012
Tiny Tales from Around the World, intergenerational cast aged 7–70, part of Olympic celebrations.
2013
Inside My Imagination, commissioned for the Paralympics, celebrating hospital children’s voices.
2014
Established Hounslow Youth Theatre, staged multiple productions at Rose Theatre and Soho Theatre, featured in Channel 4 Big Dance, curated festival Homegrown and Handmade in Hounslow.
2014
Poppy Stories, World War II heritage project.
2014
Urban Art Stories, exhibition and workshops at Saatchi Gallery.
2015
Fried Chicken, performed at Arthur Cotterell Theatre and Richmond Safeguarding Conference.
2016
60 Years of Fashion, heritage project at Rose Theatre and Saatchi Gallery.
The next period of Bounce Theatre saw bigger productions, and a greater number of commissions running in schools, youth and community groups, and our first heritage projects!
2017-2020: Expansion & Digital Innovation
2017
Emoji: It’s Prom Night, tender story of transformation, performed at Kingston Academy.
2018
Our Health Your Hands, celebrating 70 years of NHS; students earned their first Arts Award.
2019
SCAR, youth-led performance exploring mental health; performed at multiple venues.
2019
Things to do in a Blackout, World War II heritage project.
2020
Grace Dear Arts Project, digital youth theatre during lockdown with acting, writing, podcasting, yoga.
2020
Story Club, 11,000 weekly DIY zines.
2020
Dear Children, Christmas doorstep tour raising £5,000 for food banks.
Post‑Covid has been a time of reflection and reinvention for Bounce Theatre, deepening our commitment to inclusive practice and diverse voices. We’ve embraced creative resilience, reimagined how theatre connects and heals, and ensured our work stays responsive, accessible, and joy‑filled.
2021-Present: Reflection & Renewal
2021
Sugar & Spice, heritage project exploring Tooting’s post-WWII evolution.
2022
Turn Up Join In, intergenerational community arts project at Home Café.
2022
Became partners with Speech Bubbles, supporting young people’s communication skills.
2022
Threads of Tooting, heritage project exploring textiles, culminating in script and book.
2022
Youth Theatre in Earlsfield established, giving children a space to explore creative communication.
2023
StoryClub, converted an empty cottage into a house for play and stories.
2024
Beyond the Plate, celebrated community food heritage with 150 participants sharing stories, recipes, and poetry.
2025
Beautifully Imperfect: A multidisciplinary art project with 90 young people who attend Anstee Bridge. The work concluded with an original art book to be taken into the homes of young people unable to attend school because of poor mental health.
2025
Alice in Wonderland: A reinterpretation of Alice in Wonderland, reimagining playspaces for performance. 150 children performed across two playgrounds, a trim trail, and the woodlands to mark Wandsworth being London Borough of Culture.