TARA BOLAND

Punchdrunk Enrichment’s Route 158

Director: Tara

Co-Created by Tara, Kat Heath & Pete Higgin

Tara returned to Punchdrunk Enrichment to create this ambitious project; an immersive show on a double decker bus, touring to London schools.

She was the Writer and Director and also performed in the project.

Tara played both Alphia (lead) and was the swing for Alberta (also lead) in this immersive marvel about other worlds, imagination and everyone’s innate ability to create something totally unique.

When a series of stones mysteriously appear in a primary school, pupils are unaware that this is the start of an epic adventure. A travel company from another world is in peril, and urgently needs the children's help.

Tara worked in role meeting and greeting children in the school as well as performing both parts for the two hander show that took place on the bus. She also did all of the voice over work for the eight different characters that appeared in dictaphone messages for the children, that’s a lorra accent work right there.

Producers: Awkward Productions

Writer: Linus Karp

Tara directed the puppetry on this ridiculous, hilarious, irreverent and brilliantly bonkers show. Which in essence meant working with Camilla Parker Bowls as satanic rag doll and Prince Charles (sorry, King Charles) as a cardboard cut out… it was as fun to work on as the show is to watch. The show has become a cult classic, its Edinburgh 2023 run sold out as it amassed a hello of a lot of 5 star reviews.

National Museums, galleries and historic houses. Part of Art Fund’s The Wild Escape.

Tara was the writer and director of this immersive experience that gave children the opportunity to become the heroes of their own visit to museum spaces across the country. Tara created an audio experience, narrated by non other than Konnie Huq with a score by Some Other Planet which guided children to seek out the overlooked and unseen animals around them, draw what they find and then have their drawings brought to life as part of The Wild Escape’s Wild World.

This was a national campaign that engaged thousands of children and young people across the country.

Tara was one of a team of writers on this innovative immersive experience for Swamp Motel.

Working with emerging technology, the narrative was decided by interactions with each individual audience member.

This meant that an enormous team effort was needed to create a compelling narrative that was different for everyone.

‘Delightfully disturbing’ **** The Guardian

**** Time Out

Tara was the Writer and Director for The Depot; an ARG for a new game from Niantic and Punchdrunk.

Although the game didn’t launch the development time and ideas were very, very cool!

Tara worked alongside the creative marketing manager for Niantic to develop this cross platform piece of storytelling that fused Greek Myth with AR.

Bernie Grants Arts Centre, 2018

Edinburgh International Children’s Festival, 2019

Tara worked as part of the core creative team to conceive and develop the story for Small Wonders, inspired by workshops she co-lead with Tottenham based teenagers the UpLifters. She Co-Directed the show with Peter Higgin, Punchdrunk Enrichment Director.

Inside Nanny Lacey’s flat are her collection of miniatures. These homemade creations capture the adventures she’s shared with her daughter Bella over the years. Like 3D photographs, they’re treasured moments of time and each one tells a different story.

A magical interactive experience for 5 - 11 year olds and their families, Small Wonders was a commissioned by Punchdrunk, LIFT and Bernie Grants Arts Centre and went on to be remounted for Edinburgh International Children’s Festival with Imaginate.

PRESS

‘A comprehensively starling piece of theatre’ ***** All Edinburgh Theatre

‘Highlights both the strength of the imaginative bond between the old and the very young and its power to remind us all of life’s magic’ ***** The Scotsman

‘An atmospheric testament to the power of the imagination’ **** London Evening Standard

‘Bitersweet reflections on the passing of time’ **** The Times

‘imaginatively rich, smaller scale work from the immersive theatre company that places storytelling at its heart’ **** The Stage

Schools Projects, Nov 2016 - Present

A Small Tale was the first project that Tara wrote and directed at Punchdrunk Enrichment. This was a brand new format for immersive work; led by the teacher in the classroom, Tara created Punchdrunk Enrichment’s first teacher led adventure. The narrative follows the journey of two tiny people who escape from a book and was created for years 1 - 4 to support teacher creativity. The project was an instant hit; A Small Tale has now been delivered at over 200 primary schools across the UK as well as being taken to Galway in Ireland and Western Massachusetts in the USA.

So popular was the format that Tara went on to create three more teacher led adventures; A Curious Quest a whole school adventure, The Vanishing Land for year’s 5 & 6 and one more for EYFS children that will be launched soon.

Tara spent a lot of time in schools to create these projects, working closely with designers and illustrators to make work that was embedded in the school environment and made schools feel magical.

Primary Schools Project 2013 - present

Tara directed the Lost Lending Library from 2016 - 2019. She developed new creative writing workshops to be lead in classrooms as part of the project, continued creative development of scripts and performance style and created two new legacy projects that allow pupils to stay in touch with the magical library after it leaves the school.

At 314 floors high with 78 spiral side departments and 26 sub sections, The Lost Lending Library is the world’s largest collection of books. Jumping around from place to place, sharing its love of books the Lost Lending Library often lands in places where it knows it can find the most precious books of all time; new stories written by young apprentices.

The Lost Lending Library is Punchdrunk Enrichment’s flagship primary school project and has been delivered in over seventy primary schools to date. The project aims to improve standards in literacy through an unforgettable narrative that unfolds in the school.

Tara also created an adapted version of the project delivered in a school with pupils with ASD.