BOUNCE

A show for 5-10 year olds

BOUNCE IS ON TOUR!  

We are excited to present BOUNCE, a bilingual production in BSL and English, touring schools and venues from February 2025. 

We are thrilled to be redeveloping BOUNCE for hearing and D/deaf audiences.  

The incredible ‘Challenge Enthusiasts’ are embarking on their biggest challenge yet – The Marshmallow Challenge! Can they resist eating one marshmallow to then be rewarded with two marshmallows? The Enthusiasts can resist nearly everything except temptation, which takes them on an emotional, and hilarious, rollercoaster ride! 

BOUNCE is for 5-10 year olds, and is a comedy theatre show that explores emotions and resilience. It was developed with four Primary Schools in 2019, where the children and artists explored emotions, what they look and sound like, and what to do when feelings feel too big.  

BOUNCE toured in 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 and we’re excited to be redeveloping BOUNCE for 2025 in BSL and English. Over 2500 children have seen Bounce so far! 

“The skilled comedic performances were perfectly in sync, using their tools of storytelling, movement and musicality to build an excellent rapport with their audience.” Ruth Rankin, Perthshire Advertiser. 

“It made me feel happy, my jaw hurt from laughing so much” P4 Pupil, Pitcairn Primary School 

 

Any schools interested should contact us at info@dirliebane.org.uk 

2025 Creative Team
Performers – Fiona Ferrier, Rachel Colles, Irina Vartopeanu
Designer – Katie Innes
Musician – Su Appelbe
Directorial Support – Tim Licata
 

Original Creative Teams
Performers – Fiona Ferrier and Rachel Colles
Designer – Katie Innes
Musician – Su Appelbe
Directorial Support – Maria Oller/Suzie Ferguson/Tim Licata
Photos – Kelman Greig-Kicks
Illustration – Rhian Wright 

 

BOUNCE 2025 has been funded by: Creative Scotland, The Conundrum Charitable Trust, The Trefoil Trust, and the Ponton House Trust. It will be created with the support of Perth Theatre.  

BOUNCE is touring schools in March and April 2025.  

PUBLIC PERFORMANCES 

Perth Theatre – Saturday 22 March 

https://www.perththeatreandconcerthall.com/whats-on/bounce-337602 

 

Byre Theatre, St.Andrews – Friday 11 April 

https://byretheatre.com/shows/bounce/  

 

Rothes Halls, Glenrothes – Saturday 3 May 

Quotes from Primary 3, Primary 4 and Primary 5 children: 

“It made me feel great, I had the best time ever”

“It made me feel excited, inspired and happy”

“Thank you for doing this for us, it was really good”

“It made me feel very very very very very happy”

“That was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen”

“It made me feel really giggly”

 

Feedback from teachers: 

“The class completely engaged with it, they were totally mesmerised! They loved the silliness of it all and got caught up in the emotions which they could all relate to” 

 

“The class loved how funny it was. They really warmed to the characters. The songs were also easy to  learn and to join in” 

 

Parent feedback:

“It made me feel very happy. Great to laugh so much and be amongst all the kids laughing. Got me thinking about how to talk to kids about emotions. A really fun, engaging and relatable show” 

 

Teacher feedback:

“Honestly it was excellent. Opportunities to engage before, during and after. Practical experiences, opportunities for ASN to be fully engaged.” Teacher, Portmoak PS

 

“We were absolutely thrilled with the impact of the “Bounce” performance on our children. Like many schools, a health and wellbeing focus was the context for the first few weeks of term as we revisited and strengthened our understanding of how our emotions works. This production supported and built on the children’s prior learning experiences in a highly engaging and motivating way. The teacher support packs and accompanying resources ensured that our children were well prepared and got the most out of the production and follow up workshops. Unlike other theatre groups we have worked with, the company took the time to identify children with additional support needs that would benefit from additional input and time with the performer to ensure that they were able to access and engage with the performance, this was invaluable to these children who were then able to thoroughly enjoy the performance alongside their peers. I wish I could put into words the sheer joy and engagement on the children and staffs faces during the performance, I can highly recommend the Dirliebane Theatre Company.” Headteacher, Comrie Primary School.

 

Review in Perthshire Advertiser, 29 October 2021. By Ruth Rankin.

 

“Perth Theatre’s Joan Knight studio was brimming with belly laughs as children, parents and carers watched Dirliebane Theatre Company’s show Bounce on Saturday, October 23.
A warm welcome and an air of excitement met the audience of the first children’s performance in the Horsecross venue since reopening after the pandemic.
It was a delight of a show, perfectly pitched for a primary aged audience and the compact and innovative set is well designed for touring and visiting schools.
Both young and old were enticed and engaged by the opening number ‘We’re Excited’, as this playful production introduced us to the characters Sally and Destiny, two ‘challenge enthusiasts’ brought to life by Dirliebane’s artistic directors Fiona Ferrier and Rachel Colles.
The play explored big emotions and feelings in a simple yet effective way.
Both Ferrier and Colle’s skilled comedic performances were perfectly in sync, using their tools of storytelling, movement and musicality to build an excellent rapport with their audience.
Participation was very much encouraged and appreciated as they navigated how to solve problems such as what should you do if you feel angry or sad?
Sally and Destiny poignantly sang; “You’ve got the power to feel what you feel and everything will be alright.
It is clear to see why this show is perfect for a context where emotional regulation and understanding will help children in overcoming the pandemic experience.
If you missed out, be sure to check out Dirliebane Theatre Company’s youtube channel where they have made more of Destiny and Sally’s challenges available for everyone to enjoy.
And Perth is in for a treat as another Dirliebane show has been scheduled to be performed in the theatre as part of their winter programming.”

ABOUT

BOUNCE IS ON TOUR!  

We are excited to present BOUNCE, a bilingual production in BSL and English, touring schools and venues from February 2025. 

We are thrilled to be redeveloping BOUNCE for hearing and D/deaf audiences.  

The incredible ‘Challenge Enthusiasts’ are embarking on their biggest challenge yet – The Marshmallow Challenge! Can they resist eating one marshmallow to then be rewarded with two marshmallows? The Enthusiasts can resist nearly everything except temptation, which takes them on an emotional, and hilarious, rollercoaster ride! 

BOUNCE is for 5-10 year olds, and is a comedy theatre show that explores emotions and resilience. It was developed with four Primary Schools in 2019, where the children and artists explored emotions, what they look and sound like, and what to do when feelings feel too big.  

BOUNCE toured in 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 and we’re excited to be redeveloping BOUNCE for 2025 in BSL and English. Over 2500 children have seen Bounce so far! 

“The skilled comedic performances were perfectly in sync, using their tools of storytelling, movement and musicality to build an excellent rapport with their audience.” Ruth Rankin, Perthshire Advertiser. 

“It made me feel happy, my jaw hurt from laughing so much” P4 Pupil, Pitcairn Primary School 

 

Any schools interested should contact us at info@dirliebane.org.uk 

2025 Creative Team
Performers – Fiona Ferrier, Rachel Colles, Irina Vartopeanu
Designer – Katie Innes
Musician – Su Appelbe
Directorial Support – Tim Licata
 

Original Creative Teams
Performers – Fiona Ferrier and Rachel Colles
Designer – Katie Innes
Musician – Su Appelbe
Directorial Support – Maria Oller/Suzie Ferguson/Tim Licata
Photos – Kelman Greig-Kicks
Illustration – Rhian Wright 

 

BOUNCE 2025 has been funded by: Creative Scotland, The Conundrum Charitable Trust, The Trefoil Trust, and the Ponton House Trust. It will be created with the support of Perth Theatre.  

TOUR DATES

BOUNCE is touring schools in March and April 2025.  

PUBLIC PERFORMANCES 

Perth Theatre – Saturday 22 March 

https://www.perththeatreandconcerthall.com/whats-on/bounce-337602 

 

Byre Theatre, St.Andrews – Friday 11 April 

https://byretheatre.com/shows/bounce/  

 

Rothes Halls, Glenrothes – Saturday 3 May 

GALLERY
FEEDBACK

Quotes from Primary 3, Primary 4 and Primary 5 children: 

“It made me feel great, I had the best time ever”

“It made me feel excited, inspired and happy”

“Thank you for doing this for us, it was really good”

“It made me feel very very very very very happy”

“That was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen”

“It made me feel really giggly”

 

Feedback from teachers: 

“The class completely engaged with it, they were totally mesmerised! They loved the silliness of it all and got caught up in the emotions which they could all relate to” 

 

“The class loved how funny it was. They really warmed to the characters. The songs were also easy to  learn and to join in” 

 

Parent feedback:

“It made me feel very happy. Great to laugh so much and be amongst all the kids laughing. Got me thinking about how to talk to kids about emotions. A really fun, engaging and relatable show” 

 

Teacher feedback:

“Honestly it was excellent. Opportunities to engage before, during and after. Practical experiences, opportunities for ASN to be fully engaged.” Teacher, Portmoak PS

 

“We were absolutely thrilled with the impact of the “Bounce” performance on our children. Like many schools, a health and wellbeing focus was the context for the first few weeks of term as we revisited and strengthened our understanding of how our emotions works. This production supported and built on the children’s prior learning experiences in a highly engaging and motivating way. The teacher support packs and accompanying resources ensured that our children were well prepared and got the most out of the production and follow up workshops. Unlike other theatre groups we have worked with, the company took the time to identify children with additional support needs that would benefit from additional input and time with the performer to ensure that they were able to access and engage with the performance, this was invaluable to these children who were then able to thoroughly enjoy the performance alongside their peers. I wish I could put into words the sheer joy and engagement on the children and staffs faces during the performance, I can highly recommend the Dirliebane Theatre Company.” Headteacher, Comrie Primary School.

 

Review in Perthshire Advertiser, 29 October 2021. By Ruth Rankin.

 

“Perth Theatre’s Joan Knight studio was brimming with belly laughs as children, parents and carers watched Dirliebane Theatre Company’s show Bounce on Saturday, October 23.
A warm welcome and an air of excitement met the audience of the first children’s performance in the Horsecross venue since reopening after the pandemic.
It was a delight of a show, perfectly pitched for a primary aged audience and the compact and innovative set is well designed for touring and visiting schools.
Both young and old were enticed and engaged by the opening number ‘We’re Excited’, as this playful production introduced us to the characters Sally and Destiny, two ‘challenge enthusiasts’ brought to life by Dirliebane’s artistic directors Fiona Ferrier and Rachel Colles.
The play explored big emotions and feelings in a simple yet effective way.
Both Ferrier and Colle’s skilled comedic performances were perfectly in sync, using their tools of storytelling, movement and musicality to build an excellent rapport with their audience.
Participation was very much encouraged and appreciated as they navigated how to solve problems such as what should you do if you feel angry or sad?
Sally and Destiny poignantly sang; “You’ve got the power to feel what you feel and everything will be alright.
It is clear to see why this show is perfect for a context where emotional regulation and understanding will help children in overcoming the pandemic experience.
If you missed out, be sure to check out Dirliebane Theatre Company’s youtube channel where they have made more of Destiny and Sally’s challenges available for everyone to enjoy.
And Perth is in for a treat as another Dirliebane show has been scheduled to be performed in the theatre as part of their winter programming.”