Theatre to Bingo Hall
A story with a difference – it’s the opposite to the norm! As former theatres are known to turn wonderfully successfully into bingo halls, to see it being done almost the other way around is a fun surprise. Well, its not actually the reverse of the norm but almost!
What is actually happening is that a Theatre is being kitted out as a bingo hall to stage a play about just that – Bingo! The play has exactly the right name too, being titled “Everybody Loves a Winner”. The play has already opened at the theatre with the play in question forming part of the Manchester International Festival, running for a month.
The playwright, Neil Bartlett, found the inspiration to do the play after hearing about a bingo club in Brighton which was just about to close and he went to see the auditorium before the last bingo session. He was subsequently invited to become a member of the club, sat down to play and thereby got the inspiration for his play.
We have heard a number of people make comments along the lines of ‘”who on earth would want to see a whole play about the subject of bingo”. They’ve missed the point completely haven’t they when they make such statements. Why? Because they obviously have not considered the in-depth reasons of what drives various people to play the game, the psychological reasons for doing so included. And the affects bingo has on a community, not only the loss of a bingo hall (and therefore the subsequent only social contact some people have) but the loss of inter-community connections.
That is what really interested Mr Bartlett. And that is why he and his crew spent whole weekends away in a number of bingo halls across the UK, where he and his crew experienced the warm nature of the bingo community – which is second to none. He also spent twelve whole months researching the subject before putting the finishing touches to the play in readiness for the Manchester Festival and the plays grand opening.
What a great idea too to transform the whole auditorium of the theatre into a real bingo club, with audiences being given bingo tickets to take part in real live games of bingo. The theatre even had to apply for a bingo license just for the play so that invaluable audience participation could be involved.
It’s a brave playwright and director that stage a play in this way as with the audience taking part and with a real winner to come out of the games, and actors ad-libbing the parts they play as they interact with the audience – there is quite a level of unpredictability involved.
They have the winners of the games taking home real prizes as well.
Neil Bartlett said the play is a demonstration of hope, loneliness, women and also a lot about fun and laughter. What a fascinating concept, a concept which explores the psychological connections within bingo and what drives people to play the game.
Is the game of bingo mainly about winning or is it just being involved with the game and the community itself?
Depending on the success of the play, maybe it will go some way to showing the government what an important asset to the community bingo is and how very stupid their action with the tax increase has been. We can only hope so.
