Everyone can be a winner because Starkville Community Theatre will soon be performing a reading of the competitive-minded comedy "The Queen of Bingo", featuring the stars of the show's popular run at SCT's Playhouse back in 2003.
Starting at 7 p.m. on the evening of Thursday, May 20, outdoors in Fire Station Park near downtown Starkville, a small cast will take on the full script live, including a mid-show bingo round when YOU can get in on the action from the audience for a chance to win a special prize.
Sis and Babe are sisters and best friends who've been playing bingo together for years at St. Joseph’s. They dish the dirt, giggle like schoolgirls and share old memories. They drive each other crazy and keep each other company. On this particular night, Babe and Sis share something new as they each confess a secret and find a special kind of redemption.
"The Queen of Bingo" was written by Jeanne Michels and Phyllis Murphy, and is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York.
This reading features SCT's original "Sis" and "Babe" - Marianne Ulmer and Madeline Golden, and our leading ladies will tell the story with assistance from supporting performers Lyle Tate (as "Father Mac") and Louie Gallo (as The Bingo Caller). The reading is directed by Pattye Archer, who also directed the 2003 production.
Intended as a fundraiser to help SCT jumpstart its Playhouse reopening later this summer, "The Queen of Bingo" will start at 7 p.m. and will run for about an hour and thirty minutes. Admission is $10. You can buy tickets today with a card purchase, or you can wait until the night of the show to purchase walk-up tickets by cash or check. There will only be one performance of this reading.
(Obviously, we've got our fingers crossed for clear skies and amenable weather, but, just in case... should the need for a rainout occur, mark your calendar down for the afternoon of Sunday, May 23 at 2 p.m.. If, for any reason, the May 20 performance is postponed or cancelled, SCT will contact anyone with a pre-paid ticket and let them know about any date change, or, if needed by the ticket buyer, work to refund the purchase amount.)
Chairs will not be provided on-site, with ample space around the park either on grass or on sidewalk cement. For your comfort, bring along your favorite blanket or tailgating chair and settle in. There is no pre-assigned seating for this performance.
Masks are not required for audience members, though we do ask that seating groups try to maintain a minimum of 3 feet from other parties. Audience members will self-seat throughout the half of the park nearest the pavilion, with speakers connecting along both sides of the perimeter so people a little further back have a chance to hear everything just as well as those closer up. As a courtesy to other parties, please keep your own group of viewers closer together so that we have the opportunity to fill in just as much available space nearest to the stage as we have eager audience members in attendance.
The park will be open for seating starting at 6:15, on a first-come-first-seated basis. Your pre-paid ticket and reservation will guarantee you a space to sit, but it does not guarantee a specific location in relation to the stage.
In addition to pre-paid reservations by card, which is the only way to 100% guarantee an available reservation space, we will also be able to accept walk-up sales by cash or check on the night of the show. We will not be able to accept credit or debit cards at the gate. We will also not be "holding" any unpaid reservations. If you do not have a card and are desperate to reserve a space today and only have the ability to pre-pay by cash or check, please let us know by sending an email to [email protected].
If you really enjoy the show or if you just want to show your support for Starkville Community Theatre as it prepares to reopen its doors downtown, you can make a donation at the admissions check-in table, which will be at the main entrance to the park - we would truly appreciate your generosity and encouragement for what we do, especially as we work to restart in-person rehearsals and performances at our home space later this summer!
This performance was funded in part by grants from the Mississippi Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.
SCT is excited to be performing in the great outdoors again - and we'd love to have you there in the audience to cheer on our readers and to give yourself a chance to win a round of bingo for a fabulous giveaway prize!
For any questions about the show or the event on May 20, please contact SCT's Chief Administrative Officer Gabe Smith at [email protected].
