Hi everyone! We're pleased to report that the live recording of episodes 1 and 2 of 'The Future Boys' on Thursday at the Leicester Square Theatre was a complete success! To those of you who came out for the recording - THANK YOU. You were a terrific, receptive, funny, loud, intelligent audience - the atmosphere in the room was incredible and we can't wait to hear the end result. We'd also like to thank our incredibly talented cast - Adam Joselyn (Gary), Cliff Chapman (Tyler), Emma Stirling (Laura/Kathy), Robert Dearn (Rik/Security Officer/David), and our technical wizards Tom Bexon and Jonny Else. What a team. Also thank you to the Leicester Square Theatre for being lovely hosts.
So, when can you listen to the episodes?
We're then hoping to commercially release the episodes around June/July 2017. Kickstarter backers will receive them in May.
Today we launch our very first Kickstarter campaign to fund the live recording and digital release of 2 episodes of 'The Future Boys', a new science fiction audio sitcom.
The goal of this Kickstarter project is to fund the recording of two 30-minute audio episodes in front of a live audience in a theatre in London, and to release these episodes online to our backers. Depending on how this goes, we hope to make the rest of the series one day - this is first step on what we hope will be a much longer adventure for the Future Boys…
Having spent two years apart and taken up new identities, Tyler and Gary are unwittingly brought back together by Rik Sheringham, a galaxy-renowned treasure hunter, celebrity and old school friend/enemy of Tyler's. Sheringham's deal is simple - Tyler and Gary must undergo a series of daring and dangerous heists on his behalf, or be handed over to the authorities and forced to face the death sentence that has been looming over their heads for years. Can Tyler and Gary re-unite and stay on the same page long enough to complete the job? Or are they doomed to fail? Either way, there seems to be more to the jobs than a simple robbery, and Sheringham's intentions may not be all they seem...
Obviously most people reading this won't have seen Tyler and Gary's theatre exploits - never fear! The audio series will be comprised of brand new stand-alone adventures, meaning you will not need to have seen their previous stories to enjoy the show.
For those of you who are already familiar with Tyler and Gary and have attended the live shows - thank you so much for your support, it really means the world to us, and we hope you'll continue to support this new project and help us get the Future Boys out there. It’s all-new material, so if you want to know what the guys have been up to since you last saw them - now’s your chance!
We’re thrilled to have such a wonderful team of professionals at the ready – but we need your support to help us raise the funds required to make these episodes a reality.
Every person who backs this project will be able to download the first two episodes of the series. You will also have the opportunity to purchase rewards packages that include tickets to the live recording, signed posters, t-shirts and other cool stuff! Most of which features the artwork of renowned genre artist Chris Moore (www.chrismooreillustration.co.uk), who designed our fantastic poster.
For those of you interesting in attending the recording, we have 1 ticket and 2 ticket rewards available. The show will be recorded on a single evening, Thursday March 30th at 7.15pm at the Leicester Square Theatre in London’s West End. Make sure you can attend that date and location before pledging for one of the ticket rewards – and remember that travel and accommodation are NOT included. If you can’t make it – never fear. There’s a long list of other goodies that we can send straight to your door, shipping worldwide. Please note, these tickets will NOT be on sale anywhere else, they're only available through this Kickstarter campaign.
We expect to deliver on ALL of our rewards no later than the end of May 2017, including the episodes themselves. If you have any questions or want to get in touch about your rewards of the show itself – just drop us an email and we’ll reply within 24 hours.
REVIEWS
Comedy is incredibly subjective – how on earth will you know if you’ll like the series? Well, you can find some clips of the live shows in our video below, but don’t just take our word for it that the show will be funny! Here's some selected praise from the plays - Dead Static (2012), Pilgrim Shadow (2013/4), and King Chaos (2015).
'Bad Bat have established themselves as seriously hot talent in sci-fi comedy and will surely continue to capitalise on that well-earned reputation.' - Views from the Gods, reviewing King Chaos (★★★★).
'The makings of a classic series.' – Snipe London, reviewing Dead Static.
'Writer, producer and director, Steve Jordan has created a wonderfully silly and comic sci-fi universe that, with all its nods and winks to other works, stands very much on its own two feet.' - Camden Fringe Voyeur, reviewing King Chaos.
'The entire hour of the play is joke after joke so there is very little pause between laughs... would make a great television show (Blackadder meets Dr Who) with its fun-filled adventures...' - A Younger Theatre, reviewing King Chaos.
'Any time spent with these characters is a joy.' - Views from the Gods, reviewing Pilgrim Shadow (★★★★).
We're delighted to announce that Bad Bat's next show will be ‘Super Global Mega Incorporated: Turbo’ – a comedy sketch show from sketch group 'Global Mega Incorporated' following their eponymous sell-out debut in 2015. Featuring new material alongside the best sketches from their barnstorming debut, plus new exciting words in the show title – did you spot them? Go check, we'll wait for you...
The show runs at the Leicester Square Theatre on Thursday June 2nd and Saturday June 4th, 7pm. Tickets are £10.
The eponymous company does a bit of everything, from investigating past lives to launching missions into outer space. Consider the show a grand tour of the world’s most ludicrous enterprise, with a host of insane, depressing and taxing characters, as well as many other adjectives stolen from the difficulty setting of the Lemmings computer game. Did you get that? No? You suck.
Think the traditions of Monty Python, Fry & Laurie and The League of Gentlemen, mixed in a lunch box with some bats and the worst job you’ve ever had – but mostly just the lunch box.
Reviews from Global Mega Incorporated's sell out debut in 2015.
★★★★ '... absurdist humour that would have done the Monty Python team proud... not only was it funny, it was thought-provoking.' - Female Arts.
★★★★ - 'Jordan's writing is carefully thought out, with the characters growing on you the more you spend time with them, so he does indeed manage to tick the truly funny box... confidence and high-energy... You can tell they're all having a lot of a fun together in this show, and it seeps out into the performance... a relatable parody of big business which promises a good time.' - Views from the Gods.
Written by Steve Jordan & Adam Joselyn. Additional material by Ellen Gallagher, Emma Stirling & Robert Dearn.
Starring Adam Joselyn, Emma Stirling, Robert Dearn, Ellen Gallager and Steve Jordan.
A new one-hour science fiction comedy play about morality, power and corruption (in space), and successor to the critically-acclaimed Future Boys stage adventures, ‘Pilgrim Shadow’ and ‘Dead Static’, written and directed by Steve Jordan.
The show runs at the Tristan Bates Theatre in Covent Garden as part of this year’s Camden Fringe Festival, from Monday 10th August to Saturday 15th August 2015, 7.45pm. This will be our fifth Camden Fringe festival as contributors. Tickets are on sale now! Tickets are £12 (£10 concessions).
It's the future! King Jeffrey, compassion-vacuum and ruler of a evil galactic empire known as 'the Syndicate', commands the universe with an iron fist of idiocy and self-obsession. For years the Syndicate have hunted Tyler and Gary, two petty criminals turned freedom fighters. Having discovered their fortune and rallied an army to their cause, they embark on an audacious mission to capture the Syndicate throne and end Jeffrey’s reign of terror and incompetence. They succeed, but... what are they supposed to do now?
Will Tyler and Gary put their differences aside to make the universe a better place, or will their egos make things infinitely, impossibly worse? Just who are the good guys anyway? Power corrupts, and there is only room on the throne for one... You won't want to miss this fast-paced game of intrigue, cunning & stupidity!
Words about the Tyler and Gary’s previous stage adventures...
'Any time spent with these characters is a joy.' - Gareth Alexander, Views from the Gods, reviewing Pilgrim Shadow (★★★★), 2013.
'Splendidly thoughtful and hilarious…' - James Bacon, Forbidden Planet International, reviewing Dead Static, 2012.
'The makings of a classic series.' – Alan Hindle, Snipe London, reviewing Dead Static, 2012.
Starring:
Cliff Chapman as ‘Tyler’
Adam Joselyn as ‘Gary’
Emma Stirling as ‘Sponge’
Robert Dearn as ‘Jeffrey’
Produced by Steve Jordan & Ellen Gallagher for Bad Bat Productions.
Bad Bat Productions presents ‘Global Mega Incorporated’ - a new comedy sketch show about the tribulations of a wayward corporation on the brink of destruction.
Led by the bombastic and slightly mental Jeremiah Baptiste, the eponymous company does a bit of everything, from investigating people’s past lives to launching missions into outer space. Consider the show a grand tour of the world’s most ludicrous enterprise. Is the company destined for success? Doomed to failure? IT MATTERS.
So, what should you expect? Think the traditions of Monty Python, Fry & Laurie and The League of Gentlemen, mixed in a lunch box with some bats and the worst job you’ve ever had – but mostly just the lunch box. From the team that brought you comedy plays The Probleming (★★★★ - Views from the Gods) and Pilgrim Shadow (★★★★ - Remote Goat).
The show will run at the Etcetera Theatre in Camden, London for three evening performances - Thursday 16th, Friday 17th and Saturday 18th April 2015. 7.30pm. Tickets are £9 (£8 concessions) and available at www.etceteratheatre.com. BOOK NOW (or later, just eventually).
Starring Cliff Chapman, Emma Stirling, Adam Joselyn, Ellen Gallagher & Steve Jordan. Written by Steve Jordan, Ellen Gallagher, Adam Joselyn & Graeme Hurry.
Pilgrim Shadow returns to the stage for a three night run next week! The show will play alongside Ray Newell's A Recipe for Disaster at the Dugdale Centre in North London. Book your tickets now!
Reviews from Pilgrim Shadow's 2013 Camden Fringe debut:
★★★★ - 'Jordan carries on this seething, bubbling resentment and pathetic longing masterfully... (the cast) carry the comedy and characterisation off flawlessly... It's a classic contrast and one that the pair, all bluster and wide eyes respectively, work beautifully. As ever, if on TV ... their pairing I suspect would be seen as one of the greats.' - Views from the Gods. Full review here. ★★★★ - 'A hilarious, unusual Sci-Fi excursion... exciting and hilarious science fiction... the snappy interactions between Chapman and Joselyn bring a great atmosphere... a parody of a futuristic sci-fi blockbuster crammed into a 60 minute stage play and somehow this is achieved with rather a lot of brilliance!' - Remote Goat. Full review here. 'Terrific Fun... Cliff Chapman as Tyler and Adam Joselyn as Gary really embrace their roles – Tyler is all exaggerated patience and tragicomic dignity like Harold Steptoe... Gary bounces up and down with excitement like an ADHD rabbit... Here’s hoping there are more episodes coming our way ... these mini-sitcoms could be as good as anything on BBC3!' - Camden Fringe Voyeur. 'Had an excellent time... The acting was again top notch... The story worked well... It is a mark of a good play when it is only when it finishes you realise your chair has been pretty uncomfortable!' - Graeme Hurry, editor of KZINE and formerly Kimota. 'Pilgrim Shadow ... is ace. Fanboy humour and Bennett pathos as two outlaws try to get mitts on space booty.' - Dan Green, author of the bestselling Basher Science series. 'Like Black Books meets Bottom… laugh-out-loud funny... some strikingly clever moments.' - Annexe Magazine. 'Steve Jordan's new play combines elements of two of the best sitcoms of the last century – Blackadder and Red Dwarf... laughs throughout ... will make it impossible for anyone who sees it to describe Brokeback Mountain in a game of charades in any way other than how they do it here. ' - One Stop Arts. '... brings together warp speed and witty one-liners in ways that are, well, out of this world... a lot of fun...' - A Younger Theatre.
The Future Boys are back! This Autumn will see the return of PILGRIM SHADOW, Steve Jordan's acclaimed science fiction comedy play from last year's Camden Fringe Festival. Join Tyler and Gary, the Future Boys, as they embark on a quest for a lost treasure haul in the far reaches of the galaxy.
The show will run as part of a double bill with Ray Newell's A RECIPE FOR DISASTER, with both plays starring Cliff Chapman and Adam Joselyn. So, even if you've seen Pilgrim Shadow before, there's a whole new play as part of the bargain!
The show will run for three nights, 20th, 21st and 22nd November 2014, at the Dugdale Centre in Enfield, North London as part of a joint production between Bad Bat and the Enfield Theatre Co-Op. And guess what? Tickets are on sale NOW.
A huge thank you to all of you who came to see THE PROBLEMING this week. We're thrilled that our debut production as Bad Bat was such a success, and we're hugely grateful of all your support. A massive thank you to our amazing cast members, Emma Stirling, Adam Joselyn and Ellen Gallagher, our lighting designer and technician Tom Bexon, the Tristan Bates Theatre for having us and the Camden Fringe for making it all possible. ★★★★'...the quality of Jordan's writing has always been in his characterisation, ensuring each is given just as a particularly well-crafted arc as the plot. Here, the trio are unravelled in just three, well-considered and tightly-crafted scenes that do justice to the whole piece... Just round the corner, you could plonk your cash down for (Jeremy Dyson's) Ghost Stories. Yet if the audience on my evening is anything to go by, you could save a good £30 a ticket. The laughs come thick and fast, in all different varieties. Whether you love the cheesey, slightly nerdy references Jordan seems to revel in or the swears intelligently placed like landmines across the place, this has 'em all...Jordan cares for his characters, well-evidenced throughout, and juggling a trio well. Scripts are, frankly, impeccable... it's this continued attention to detail that makes Jordan's writing such a great investment at any level.' - Views From the Gods.
'Steve Jordan's best play yet. A diverting blend of comedy and horror, with a nice line in really foul-mouthed profanity.' - Andrew Cartmel, novelist and screenwriter. 'The chemistry between Gallagher and Stirling is rather like French and Saunders in the days of old or if you prefer a sitcom example, like Baldrick and Blackadder... Joselyn is note perfect as the socially-awkward Dave, whose cheerful demeanour is offset by his strange behaviour. The best thing about The Probleming though is the characterisation of all three parts. None feel underdeveloped and all have their moments to shine. Some of the biggest surprises come from unexpected moments of pathos that creep up on you between the laughs.' - Female Arts 'Atmospheric... Adam Joselyn as Dave is spot on with a combination of social awkwardness and ambiguity and comes with a childlike enthusiasm about his passion. Emma Stirling as Cynthia is sarcastic and cynical and her superiority complex shows through. And the cheerful and naive Nicole, played by Ellen Gallagher is positively infectious.' - The Public Reviews
One week to go until THE PROBLEMING arrives! Performing nightly at the Tristan Bates Theatre, a great venue deep in the heart of London's West End, from Monday 28th July to Saturday 2nd August at 7.45pm. Part of this year's Camden Fringe Festival. Don't miss out - BOOK YOUR TICKETS NOW PEEPS!
Rehearsals have been full of mirth and professionalism. The UK horror community has been talking about us. We have over 500 followers on twitter and very nearly 100 likes on Facebook. We have released three HD video trailers. All we've got to do now is DO the thing, and we sincerely hope you'll be in attendance when we do DO it. This play will make you laugh, and then freak you out, but in a cool way, not in a 'oh I thought it was something scary but it's actually next door's cat WAIT WHAT'S THAT BEHIND NEXT DOOR'S CAT IT'S A VAMPIRE' kind of way. You know what we mean. Think THE SHINING meets BLACK BOOKS. Yeah, now you're gettin' it! THE PROBLEMING is a good time for all. See you soon!
Promotion for our debut production, THE PROBLEMING, is now in full swing. We're in the midst of inviting reviewers, handing out flyers and generally telling as many people as we can about our fantastic comedy horror. We've got a real treat in store for you this summer, so we hope you'll join the fun!
Following that, Bad Bat will begin work on the new run of Steve Jordan's science fiction comedy PILGRIM SHADOW, back by popular demand. The show, which debuted at 2013's Camden Fringe, and will return to theatres in November of this year as part of a double bill with Ray Newell's A RECIPE FOR DISASTER at the Dugdale Centre in Enfield.
PILGRIM SHADOW is about two criminals, Tyler (Cliff Chapman) and Gary (Adam Joselyn), 'The Future Boys' on the run from the law and in search of a mythical lost treasure hidden somewhere in deep space. But until November, why not acquaint yourself with the Future Boys' first adventure, DEAD STATIC? Described as having 'the makings of a classic series' by Snipe London during its theatrical run, it's the perfect way to get yourself in the mood for our comedy treats this summer. Download for FREE here!
Bad Bat Productions are delighted to announce that later this year we will be partnering with Enfield Theatre Co-Op to produce a comedy double bill at the Enfield Dugdale Theatre, running from Thursday 20th November to Saturday 22nd November 2014. The Future Boys are back! The double bill will feature the second run of Steve Jordan's science fiction comedy 'PILGRIM SHADOW' (★★★★ - Views from the Gods, ★★★★ - Remote Goat) and the debut of Ray Newell's hilarious farce comedy 'A RECIPE FOR DISASTER'. Both productions will be directed by Steve Jordan and star Cliff Chapman and Adam Joselyn.
Further details will be released later in the year, and tickets should go on sale in the Autumn. In the meantime, check out our 'past productions' page to learn more about PILGRIM SHADOW and read some of the great reviews from its debut run at the Tristan Bates Theatre last summer as part of the Camden Fringe Festival.
Bad Bad Productions is delighted to announce that our next theatrical production will be THE PROBLEMING, a horror comedy by Steve Jordan. The show will run at the Tristan Bates Theatre in Covent Garden for six evening performances, from Monday 28th July to Saturday 2nd August 2014 at 7.45pm. The show will be part of this year's Camden Fringe Festival, and will star Emma Stirling as 'Cynthia', Adam Joselyn as 'Dave' and Ellen Gallagher as 'Nicole'.
Cynthia's university life is a nightmare. She hates her peers, her campus and she's beginning to hate herself. Her only ‘friend’ is Nicole - a scatterbrained party girl, desperate for popularity. In an effort to move up the social ladder, they join the only student society that appeals - the Speculative Analysis Society (Spec Anal for short) - a group on a quest to prove the existence of the paranormal. As it turns out, it’s not a group at all; just a bloke in a bow-tie called Dave, a lone ghost enthusiast who believes that the isolated rural campus of Trent Park University is haunted by the spirits of witches that were burnt on the grounds of the campus. Despite Cynthia's cynicism, the trio venture out into the seemingly endless fields at night. A harmless bit of fun? Or a night of terror they must fight to survive? Behold, the Probleming.
This will be Bad Bat's first Camden Fringe run, though the team have had years of success at the Fringe as part of ManMoth Productions. This will be the team's second run at the wonderful Tristan Bates Theatre, a lovely theatre in the heart of London's West End. We're delighted to be opening the Camden Fringe at the Tristan Bates as their first show of the festival. We aim to be a tough act to follow. Expect laughs, scares and a whole bunch of fun.
Tickets will be £10, and go on sale on the 1st of June 2014. Check back soon for details on how to book and more info about Bad Bat productions!
Bad Bat Productions presents ‘Global Mega Incorporated’ - a new comedy sketch show about the tribulations of a wayward corporation on the brink of destruction.
