OVERVIEW

‘BadaBoom’ is a bold, new theatrical revolution blending live performance, operatic beauty and cutting-edge interactive technology.

Imagine a genre defying, next generation stage show where you don’t just immerse yourself in the story, enjoy the music and marvel at the spectacle – you actively ‘game’ your way through the performance, steering the action as it unfolds before your eyes.

BadaBoom tells the story of Frankie, a weathered hitman who has spent his life in the shadows, taking lives on behalf of others. When he begins to recount his past to Eliza Vale, a sharp and eager biographer, the façade he has carefully constructed begins to crack. And as the twists and turns of Frankie’s tale are recounted, the audience becomes more than just witnesses – they become players, battling his demons through a mobile gaming app, and shaping his story as it unfolds.

Created by Irish playwright and technologist Niall Austin, directed by Prof. David Bassuk, and starring acclaimed Blue Bloods actor Abigail Hawk and Irish actor Peter Smith, with an operatic soundtrack by Claudia Boyle, ‘BadaBoom’ is the world’s first fusion of e-gaming adrenaline, with live theatrical storytelling.

CAST

 

Abigail Hawk (Eliza) is an award-winning American actor, singer, and writer, best known for her portrayal of Detective Baker in all 14 seasons of US hit cop drama, Blue Bloods. Other TV and film credits include FBI; Law and Order: SVU; A Christmas in Vermont (opposite Chevy Chase); Almost Paris; and Under the Stadium Lights (with Laurence Fishburne). She made her off-Broadway debut at Signature Theatre in NYC in the world premiere of Jasper. Abigail associate-produced and stars in the award-winning and ground-breaking films Daruma and Regarding Us, both of which are currently streaming on multiple platforms. She has delivered keynote speeches across the US, is a fierce disability rights activist, a published poet, and a proud wife and mom. She is also hard at work on her first novel.

 

 

Peter M. Smith (Frankie) is an Irish actor, trained at the Gaiety Theatre School. Having come to prominence on Irish Popstars, his screen appearances include The Clinic, upcoming Guy Ritchie movie, ‘In the Grey’, as well as Netflix’s international hit series ‘Who is Erin Carter’ and as the lead in New movie ‘Code Red: Spain’. He is also currently playing the lead role in the new hit musical ‘Moonlight: The Philip Lynott Enigma’.

CREATORS

Niall Austin is the writer and creator of BadaBoom. His work is steeped in the art of storytelling. Each of his projects, marked by a distinct narrative-driven core, is a tapestry woven with threads of innovative technology and creative writing. Building on recent shows ‘PL-AI’ and ‘Deep Fake’, his forthcoming show, ‘7 Deadly Sims’, is a celebration of this synthesis, offering audiences not just a show but an adventure, where the lines between performer and spectator blur into a shared experience. Niall’s journey in music, coloured by partnerships with legends such as Ronnie Drew and Moya Brennan, echoes an eclectic approach to the arts. From the stages with ‘Brian’,  the band he co-founded with Ken Sweeney, to the creation of interactive experiences for notable brands and artists including Yoko Ono and the Olympic Movement, Niall’s work always circles back to the story at the heart, whether it’s told through a melody, poem installation, or a digital character’s journey.

David Bassuk (Director) is a director of theatre, transmedia, immersive narrative, and experience design, specializing in spatial storytelling across live and virtual settings. His work develops meaningful interactions between designers and audiences through technology. Stage directing credits include Cat’s Cradle (Kurt Vonnegut), July’s People (Nadine Gordimer), The Chosen Off-Broadway, American Camera at Lincoln Centre, and numerous Purchase Repertory productions such as Earthquakes in London, Peer Gynt, Hedda Gabler, The Cherry Orchard, and Seven Deadly Sins.

As Creative Director of White Horse Immersive (Hangzhou, China), Bassuk developed large projects with Alibaba and Tencent, including Aurora, a multimedia theatre experience blending AR gameplay, Chinese mythology, and AI storytelling, and Emerald Hotel, an immersive LARP-escape room hybrid guided by an AI Narrative Logic Engine. He also serves as Creative Director and Narrative Designer at MIAT in Milan.

Professor Emeritus of Acting at SUNY Purchase, he mentored students in directing, writing, and performance design. A Fulbright Scholar in Salzburg, he taught immersive narrative and game design, and previously led Iraqi Futures 2050, a UN-backed live and online simulation addressing water scarcity across ten Iraqi cities.

Bassuk also consults internationally on curriculum design, cultural production, and creative industries.

INTERACTIVE

All of the game and simulations featured within BadaBoom were created by Niall Austin and Second Screen Ltd.

Second Screen is a boutique ‘Creative Technologies’ company based in Dublin. They specialise in ‘experience design and spatial storytelling’ across live and virtual settings, focusing on developing meaningful interactions between storytellers and their audiences through technology.

Working with Maynooth University, the company has developed a unique, patented technology that ‘contextualises’ Augmented Reality (like Pokémon Go, but with precise control and interactivity). Their process then involves creating ‘environmental understanding maps’ of venues, developing ‘Companion Apps’ synchronised with story narratives within these venues, and a ‘Cloud-based Controller’ for co-ordinating delivery of the experience, gathering data, etc.

The company’s technology can be used for Cinema, TV, Stage Shows and Theme Parks.

MUSIC

The selection of music within BadaBoom has been curated by Claudia Boyle, who also performs on several of the recordings. Claudia has secured her stellar reputation on the world-wide stage as one of the finest Irish opera singers of her generation having just returned from making her main stage debut singing the title role in Alice’s Adventures Underground at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden.

Claudia has won both the First Prize and the Critics Award at The Maria Calla Competition in Verona where the Callas Estate presented her with the miraculous medal once owned and worn by the legendary singer. This precious gift, which Maria Callas brought to all of her performances has encouraged and inspired Claudia greatly in her career.

Many of the featured recordings are from the United States ‘Library of Congress’, which have been re-mastered using emerging AI technologies, with Claudia’s new vocals being added at Terry Merrick’s ‘Origin Studios’ in Santry.

CREW

  • Production Manager: Finn Sweeney
  • Lighting Design: Ciara Meehan
  • Sound: Bella Greene
  • Hair & Make-Up: Jessica Molloy
  • Dramaturgical Support: Kalista Bassuk & Steven Byrne
  • Technical Management: Dermot Marrey

Special thanks to Donal Shiels and all of the team at the Civic Theatre for this kind support and assistance during this production.

The production has been proudly supported by The Arts Council.