Our 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 WORK
​
2006 – Bounce Theatre founded by Louise Pendry and collaborators.
2007 – Dramatic Edge: Primary and secondary school showcases in Richmond.
2008 – Extended Schools Hounslow: Created a network of clubs in schools to increase access to drama.
2009 – Creative Mums: Connected mothers through creative activities across Hounslow.
2010 – Butterfly Stories: Professional performance created with children at Shooting Star Hospice
2011 – Be Creative Be Well: Produced an intergenerational arts project across the Meadows Estate.
2012 – Tiny Tales from Around the World: United an intergenerational cast (7–70) for Olympic celebrations.
2013 – Inside My Imagination: Amplified the voices of children in hospitals for the Paralympics.
2014 – Hounslow Youth Theatre: Formed a community youth theatre for 6-18 years old
2014 – Homegrown and Handmade: Youth led drama festival in an otherwise empty theatre
2014 – Poppy Stories: Intergenerational World War II heritage project.
2014 – Urban Art Stories: Art and performance project with the Saatchi Gallery.
2015 – Fried Chicken: Professional production made with young people at Anstee Bridge.
2016 – 60 Years of Fashion: Interdisciplinary art project with Anstee Bridge and museum of London.
2017 – Emoji: Professional production with Anstee Bridge.
2018 – Our Health Your Hands: Interdisciplinary arts project with Anstee Bridge and National Archives.
2019 – SCAR: Touring professional production with young people at Anstee Bridge.
2019 – Things to Do in a Blackout: Digital arts project during lockdown with National Archives
2020 – Grace Dear Arts Project: Digital arts project during lockdown and post pandemic, supporting creativity and wellbeing.
2020 – Story Club: Multi arts project during lockdown which reached 11,000 people with weekly creative zines.
2020 – Dear Children: Doorstep theatre production. Raised £5,000 for Earlsfield Foodbank.
2021 – Sugar & Spice: Intergenerational arts project exploring Tooting’s post-war history through community storytelling.
2022 – Speech Bubbles partnership: Became a partner in the national charity Speech Bubbles.
2022 – Threads of Tooting: Intergenerational heritage project including a new play Threads, written with young people and performed at Omnibus theatre.
2022 – Into the Forest: Youth Theatre performance converting the Home Cafe into a forest.
2023 – StoryClub: Transformed an empty cottage into a family play space for play, stories, and imagination.
2024 – Beyond the Plate: Intergenerational project celebrating food heritage, stories, and poetry.
2025 – Beautifully Imperfect: Multidisciplinary arts project and published book for young people unable to attend school due to emotional health.
2025 – Alice in Wonderland: 150 children performed across two playgrounds, a woodlands and a trim trail for Wandsworth’s Borough of Culture.
