Inside BoneDaddy’s Bacchanal: Karley’s Queer Horror Cabaret Embraces Immersive Theater
Within the walls of Madame X, BoneDaddy’s Bacchanal turned the concept of cabaret on its head. The brainchild of Karley Wasaff, this queer horror cabaret combined elements of The Nightmare Before Christmas, S&M kink, and politically charged satire with the unmistakable vibrancy of NYC’s queer nightlife. The result was a one-night-only spectacle that left a mark on the city’s immersive theater scene.
BoneDaddy’s Bacchanal was far from a typical performance. With eerie yet captivating costumes and a labyrinthine set, the show invited attendees to step into a world of controlled chaos. Guests were handed dice— included with VIP tickets—and encouraged to roll them to unlock secret interactions. Performers wielded flashlights for consent-driven encounters, seamlessly integrating boundary-pushing surprises with deeply immersive storytelling.
“It’s about agency,” Karley tells us. “Horror forces us to confront our fears. Kink lets us play with power. Both are about reclaiming control, and that’s at the core of BoneDaddy.” The performers embodied this ethos, balancing their roles as provocateurs and storytellers while engaging directly with the audience. Their charisma and wit transformed passive spectators into active participants, making each interaction feel intimate and electric.
What inspired you to blend shock value, horror, kink, and interactivity into your performances for BoneDaddy? Were there specific moments in your life or artistic influences that shaped this vision?
“BoneDaddy’s Bacchanal is a love letter to my younger self—the self that, at 15, created a 10-minute, over-the-top jazz version of The Nightmare Before Christmas for my dance studio’s holiday cabaret. That was the last time I remember being completely in love with the process of making something out of nothing, where I had full creative control. It was chaotic, it was ambitious, and it was mine. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was building the bones of BoneDaddy right then and there. As I moved into my professional dance career, that love started to fade. I was being hired as a soloist over and over, and while it looked great on paper, it left me feeling isolated. BoneDaddy became a way to reconnect with a community of performers, to create something we could all claim ownership over. The horror, kink, and shock value all tie into the idea of agency. Horror forces us to confront our fears. Kink lets us play with power. Both are about reclaiming control, and that’s at the core of BoneDaddy. But it’s not just about audience agency—it’s about performer agency. Our performers have full control of their interactions, their choices, and their boundaries. The audience gets to roll dice, flash lights, and stir up chaos, but only if the performers choose to engage. It’s controlled mischief with a cr33pycvnty twist. And when I think of my inspirations, Rocky Horror Picture Show is the immediate one—it’s queer, satirical, and it asks the audience to join the madness. BoneDaddy does the same, but with a kink-fueled cabaret edge.”
Beyond the chills and thrills, BoneDaddy’s Bacchanal was a celebration of queer artistry. Karley’s vision centered on creating a space where performers could reclaim their narratives and audiences could embrace disruption. “Our performers have full control of their interactions, their choices, and their boundaries,” they explained. “It’s controlled mischief with a cr33pycvnty twist.”
This philosophy extended to the show’s production model. Fully self-funded, BoneDaddy’s Bacchanal prioritized equitable pay for its performers. Karley introduced a revenue-sharing system tied to ticket sales, ensuring that the cast shared in the production’s success. “It’s not just about getting paid; it’s about being part of something bigger,” Karley emphasized.
Karley’s approach to audience engagement also set the production apart. Recognizing the challenges of interactive theater, they invested heavily in pre-show education. Artist talks, behind-the-scenes teasers, and sneak peeks helped attendees shed their passive “sit-and-watch” mindset, preparing them to embrace their roles as Oogie Boogie—the chaotic force driving the night.
What were some of the biggest hurdles you faced—either creatively, logistically, or socially—while putting this production together? How did you overcome them?
“Creatively, one of the biggest hurdles has been balancing unpredictability with structure. Audience interaction is at the heart of BoneDaddy’s Bacchanal, but engagement without guidance can turn into confusion. This year, I finally stepped out of the role of performer to focus on directing and shaping the audience’s experience. That shift allowed me to codify how my performers respond to audience interactions, using movement motifs and specific prompts that create structure while still allowing for surprise and play. It’s controlled chaos—but now it’s truly controlled.
Logistically, funding is always a challenge. This show is 100% self-funded, and unlike traditional grant-based productions, I’ve created a sustainable model where performers receive a guaranteed base rate that I would personally accept for myself as a performer. I believe in paying my artists fairly, and that foundation is non-negotiable. But to create a more equitable system, I’ve also introduced a revenue-sharing element. Performers have the opportunity to make more based on ticket sales—essentially sharing in the show’s success. It’s not just about getting paid; it’s about being part of something bigger, where every performer has a stake in the outcome. I’m reimagining what sustainable funding can look like when you don’t rely on grants or institutional support.
Socially, the biggest challenge has been reframing how people experience interactive theater. Many people enter with a passive ‘sit-and-watch’ mentality, but BoneDaddy asks them to engage, take risks, and disrupt the night. It’s not a passive experience—it’s an active one. This year, I leaned heavily into pre-show education by offering artist talks, behind-the-scenes teasers, and sneak peeks that helped frame the show before audiences even stepped in the door. This priming made all the difference. For the first time, I watched the audience fully step into their role as Oogie Boogie, embracing the concept with curiosity and excitement instead of hesitation.”
Karley’s decision to step back from performing and focus on directing marked a turning point for BoneDaddy’s Bacchanal. This shift allowed them to refine the interplay between structure and unpredictability, ensuring that every moment felt intentional yet thrillingly spontaneous. “It’s controlled chaos—but now it’s truly controlled,” Karley reflected.
Looking to the future, Karley’s creative horizons remain as expansive as ever. Upcoming projects include Growing Takes Time, a playful performance inspired by the video game Pikmin, and an augmented reality collaboration with The Metabetties Collective, set to debut in 2025. These ventures continue their exploration of quirky themes, blending subversion, playfulness, and radical storytelling.
Looking ahead, how do you envision evolving your exploration of quirky themes in your future work? Are there areas of performance or storytelling you’re eager to dive into next?
“Quirkiness is embedded in the very nature of play, and play is essential for rupture, rapture, and radical change. In BoneDaddy, quirkiness shows up as childlike mischief—the kind of unfiltered curiosity that drives the audience to roll dice, flash lights, and take risks. It’s in the performers, too, as they balance the dual roles of character and provocateur. This playfulness allows for rupture, where audience expectations are flipped, and rapture, where they become fully immersed in the chaos. The audience becomes Oogie Boogie, and that transformation isn’t just quirky—it’s subversive. My next exploration of quirky themes will come through Growing Takes Time, a performance inspired by the playful logic of the video game Pikmin, that I am researching and beginning to build in 2025. The quirkiness here is overt—performers wear non-gendered Pikmin- inspired costumes while engaging in hyper-exaggerated, sensual movements that cause the flowers on their heads to bloom. The piece is about real-time problem-solving, growth,
and transformation—both as individuals and as a collective. It’s part game, part spectacle, and part social experiment. The audience watches performers struggle, adapt, and try to work together, which reflects the messiness of personal growth. It’s quirky, it’s uncomfortable, and it’s human. I’m excited to see where it leads.
On a different track, I’m also expanding XwhY, a solo that has been central to my career. XwhY isn’t ‘quirky’ in the traditional sense—it’s grounded in grotesque beauty, gender exploration, and body autonomy. It began as part of my MFA thesis, where I first built an augmented reality (AR) world tied to the live performance. Due to funding constraints, I had to step back from the digital side of the work as I focused on developing XwhY as a solo. Over the past five years, it has been commissioned to be performed live 11 times and screened as a dance-for-film at eight national and international festivals. Now, I’m returning to the AR component, bringing the project full circle in NYC with The Metabetties Collective at Canvas 3.0 at the top of 2025. The AR experience will layer digital bodies over the live performers, representing queer euphoria, queer liberation, and queer futurism. While the live performers embody the visceral weight of trauma—the forces that hold us back—the AR reveals a visual manifestation of self-liberation and release. This duality of restraint and transcendence emphasizes the concept of grotesque beauty, turning it into
something tangible and transformative. The performers’ grounded presence becomes a canvas for the expansive, liberatory visual language of AR, giving the audience a glimpse into a world where bodily autonomy is reimagined and reclaimed.”
BoneDaddy’s Bacchanal was more than a cabaret; it was a statement—a rallying cry for inclusivity, artistry, and disruption. By pushing boundaries and inviting audiences to take risks, Karley has established herself as a standout in immersive theater. Their ability to create experiences that uplift queer voices signals a bright future for the genre.
As the final curtain fell, attendees left the venue electrified, their imaginations alight with the possibilities of what theater can achieve. BoneDaddy’s Bacchanal wasn’t just a performance—it was a cultural moment, one that promises to resonate far beyond its single night in New York City.
Karley Wasaff, photo courtesy of Adam Ninyo.
A message from our feature:
Stay Connected with Kinetics with Karley!
Want to be the first to know about upcoming shows, performances, and free/accessible dance training opportunities? Join the Kinetics with Karley community and never miss a move!
Subscribe to our newsletter: http://eepurl.com/iCTMsQ
Join our Instagram Broadcast Channel: https://ig.me/j/AbZWHEnT8yPKA0H6/
Stay in the loop to shape change through movement & be a part of the magix!
—
Writing and Photography by Josh Sauceda
Additional Photo Credit: Adam Ninyo
