Q&A: Rick Miller reflects on his one-man multimedia portrait Boom X, now playing at Hamilton’s Theatre Aquarius, Theater News

History often appears in textbooks as dates and headlines, but people live it through music, family stories, and the technologies they grow up with. In Boom X, Rick Miller uses theatre to trace how Generation X came of age amid major shifts in media, politics, and daily life from the 1970s through the mid-1990s.

Written, directed, and performed by Miller, Boom X is the second installment in his Boom trilogy. The one-man multimedia production has toured widely since its 2019 premiere and now plays at Theatre Aquarius as part of an ongoing Canadian tour. Over the course of the show, Miller embodies more than 100 characters, moving between public figures and personal moments to chart a generational story.

Intermission connected with Miller over email for a brief Q&A about his show. His answers have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Your work in Boom X weaves together personal narrative and global events. How did you balance your own lived experiences with the broader cultural history of the ‘70s to ‘90s without one overshadowing the other?

In each show in the Boom Trilogy (Boom X is Part Two, but you don’t need to have seen Part One), it’s always a tricky balancing act. The cultural history is like a time capsule, but the personal stories give the show heart and humour, and make it resonate with audiences today. 

The multimedia elements in Boom X (e.g. projections, music) are central to its impact. How do you see technology enhancing theatrical storytelling, especially in a production that’s so rooted in historical change?

The use of technology evolves with each piece in the trilogy. Boom (Part One) shows the evolution from radio, to black and white TV, to technicolour. Boom X (Part Two) documents the evolution of computers, video games, music videos, cable TV, and the birth of the internet. My team and I work very hard so that what you see onstage feels like it’s of that time, and enhances the story.  

You portray an enormous range of public figures. How do you approach empathy when embodying characters or ideologies you may not agree with?

These shows come from a deep sense of compassion and empathy for every generation, and a desire for us to listen and learn from each other, and our lived experience. So much of that is formed by the climate (political, socio-economic, cultural) that we were raised in. So I take great pains to understand why people might think and feel differently, and enter into a theatrical conversation with them, and with the audience. That’s why the post-show talkback is actually part of the show!

After performing Boom X for different audiences over time, have you noticed generational differences in how the show is received — and do those reactions surprise you?

Reactions from younger audience members always interest me. They find it fascinating to hear how their parents and grandparents experienced generational ups and downs, from dark periods to moments of great hope. It gives them a big-picture perspective that we’ve worked through huge challenges before, and we can make it through the challenges we face today. They also often tell me that their history class “sucked,” but if it were presented more like Boom X, they’d appreciate it a lot more! 

What question(s) do you hope audiences carry forward with them once the show ends?

I challenge myself to make theatre that’s worth leaving home for — to create something unique that can’t be replicated on a screen. With the Boom trilogy, I want to create experiences where multiple generations of audience members can realize that we’re more similar than we are different, despite generational divides. If you blow people away with creativity, you keep theatre alive for generations to come.

Boom X runs at Theatre Aquarius until February 7. More information is available here.

Theatre Aquarius is an Intermission partner. Learn more about Intermission’s partnership model here.

WRITTEN BY

Krystal Abrigo

Krystal is Intermission’s Publishing and Editorial Coordinator. A Scarborough-based writer of Philippine and Egyptian descent, she graduated cum laude with an Honours BA in Professional Writing from York University, specializing in Book Publishing and Corporate/Organizational Communication. She enjoys reading bell hooks, Audre Lorde, and James Baldwin. At any given moment, you can probably find her at a concert or on a long walk somewhere in Toronto.

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