Tara Battani Bowles
PCA North - Middle School/Upper School Theatre and Speech tbowles@prestonwoodchristian.org
Tara Battani Bowles is ecstatic to be teaching the wonderful, gifted kids of PCA North. Bowles was born in Des Moines, Iowa and was transplanted to Austin, Texas at age seven. She attended St. Edward’s University and graduated with a Bachelors in Theatre and a minor in Communications. Bowles moved to Los Angeles after college, where she taught and directed elementary and middle school theatre at Village Christian Schools in Sun Valley, California, an elite private school near Burbank. During her time there, she directed seventeen shows, including Matilda, Into the Woods, Bye Bye Birdie, You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, Shrek, Annie, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and The Wizard of Oz, and garnered over 50 National Youth Award nominations and awards. As a working actress, she has been part of many commercials and short films and was recently cast as the lead in the Christian movie Disgrace, written by Academy Award winner Pamela Wallace and starring Kevin Sorbo. She was very involved in LA’s theatre scene during her two decade residency, including playing Louise in Gypsy, Jackie-O in The House of Yes, Jennie in Chapter Two, Tracy Lord in The Philadelphia Story, Georgette in The Traveling Lady, Kirsten in Days of Wine and Roses (LA Scenie Award – Outstanding Actress,) Annie Sullivan in The Miracle Worker (LA Scenie Award – Best Actress,) Alma Summer and Smoke (LA Stage Raw Nominee for Best Female Performance and LA Scenie Award – Outstanding Actress) and most recently, Lee in Marvin’s Room (Scenie Award – Outstanding Actress). In her spare time, she loves to read, watch Seinfeld reruns, and spend time with husband Justin and daughter Natalie Audrey, aptly named after her two favorite actresses, Natalie Wood and Audrey Hepburn.