Bingo Wings
A ripping yarn about love, luck and bingo that takes you on a flight of fantasy.
The masters of aerial spectacle present a stunning new show suitable for everyone from 8 years to 98 years old.
It’s 1974, and Bingo Fever has hit the town of Ballydawn, where everyone dreams of scooping the huge Snowball jackpot. But when star-crossed lovers Jimmy and Moya try to rig the game, fate, family and a giant storm get in the way. Will destiny keep them apart, or will their lucky number finally come up? Bingo Wings is a story about luck and love that takes you on a flight of fantasy that’s funny, moving and spectacular.
This exciting new Fidget Feet production, blending circus, aerial dance and theatre, is delivered by an award-winning team including director Jo Mangan, choreographer Chantal McCormick, playwright Tom Swift and composer Jym Daly.
Click here to read The Bingo Wings Project summary report.
Or to read the full report click here.
Funding of Bingo Wings
The Bingo Wings Project is a collaboration between multiple partners, lead by Limerick City and County Council Culture and Arts Department, artistically produced by Fidget Feet Aerial Dance Theatre. Limerick City and Council Council, Kerry County Council and Donegal County Council are co-commission and co-produce the Bingo Wings Project with Fidget Feet, funded through the Arts Council’s Invitation to Collaboration Scheme. As part of The Bingo Wing Project, Fidget Feet produce, Bingo Wings, the show.
The Bingo Wings Project is an intergenerational community project, bringing together younger and older people in a programme of public engagement focusing on arts, ageing well and health and wellbeing. During a 5-week residency, a circus artist will work with community groups in Limerick, Kerry and Donegal.
History of Bingo Wings Creation
From 2009 -2014, Fidget Feet were resident company in the Backstage Theatre in Longford. The theatre’s General Manager Mona Considine and Fidget Feet Artistic Director Chantal McCormick approached The Performance Corporation Director Jo Mangan as director for the production of Bingo Wings. In 2016 as the project developed there was a new addition to the creative team: writer, performer, storyteller and musician Little John Nee.
In 2017, Chantal was successful in being awarded a young people, children, and education bursary from the Arts Council of Ireland, to research Bingo Wings and the intergenerational possibilities of working with teenagers and older people, working with youth groups and retirement/nursing homes. Alongside this bursary, five regional venues the Lime Tree Theatre Limerick, Town Hall Theatre Galway, Hawk’s Well Theatre Sligo, An Grianán Theatre Letterkenny and the Backstage Theatre Longford committed to investing funding into the research of this new project.
“It’s a natural human need to feel connected to other human beings, to connect with touch. As a dancer and aerialist, the thing that has struck me the most about giving workshops to the older generation and teenagers, is that simple connection of being equal with each other, and not allowing age to create any differences. Some of the older people are faced with severe discomforts in their body, not being able to move, dance or be active and not having much connection with other people in the community of different ages. Being with them, dancing with them, holding their hands, even if they can’t move off a chair, that’s fine, but you can dance, it’s just finding alternative ways.
Seeing their hearts open, and their eyes sparkle just because you are giving them time, connection and dance, that really is what health and well-being is about. The Bingo Wings Project is about finding a way to be able to spend time together. Using circus, dance, bingo, theatre, they are really vehicles for the simple need and desire to connect to each other as human beings, and not let age be a barrier.”
Little John Nee, Chantal and Jym Daly (Fidget Feet’s Artistic and Musical Director) spent one week in An Grianán Theatre and Letterkenny gathering local stories of bingo memories from people in living in the retirement and nursing homes, day care centres, and bingo halls. They also worked with the youth theatre and spoke to different characters from the town about their own memories. This proved to be a successful creative week, which resulted in creating the foundations of the show.
Fidget Feet spent 3 weeks of research and development at the Irish Aerial Creation Centre.
In 2018, the Bingo Wings Project was funded through the Arts Council’s Invitation to Collaboration Scheme, Fidget Feet also secured a touring grant for a 2019 national tour from the Arts Council to the Lime Tree Theatre, Siamsa Tíre and An Grianán Theatre and future touring grant to tour to 3 venues in 2020 to the Backstage Theatre, the Black Box Theatre and the Hawk’s Well Theatre.
Credits
| Director: | Jo Mangan |
| Choreographer: | Chantal McCormick |
| Composer: | Jym Daly |
| Writer: | Tom Swift |
| Set Designer: | Sinead O’Hanlon |
| Costume designer: | Sinead Lawlor |
| Costume Consultant: | Abby Grewcock |
| Lighting designer: | Sarah Jane Shields |
| Rigging design: | Lee Clayden |
| Performers: | Aisling Ní Cheallaigh, Ronan Brady, Chantal McCormick, Karl Quinn, Maire Dee, Sianna Bruce, Kathryn Cooley, Christina Zauner and Matthew Horton. |
| Rigging Consultant: | High Performance Rigging |
| Head Rigger: | Matthew Horton |
| Production Manager: | Tomek Rola |
| Stage Manager: | Leanne Vaughey |
| Assistant Stage Manager: | James Corr |
| Chief LX: | Alan Mooney |
| Graphics Designer: | Ciara Gogarty |
| Film and Photography: | Jym Daly |
| Publicist: | Cerstin Mudiwa |
| Original Research collaborator: | Little John Nee |
| Fidget Feet Producer: | Juley-Ann Collins |
| Financial Officer: | Claire Ahern |
| The Bingo Wings Project | |
| Artists in Residence: | Lisa McLoughlin – Limerick
Toni Gutiérrez Casado – Kerry Stephanie Townsend – Donegal |
| Local Authorities: | |
| Sheila Deegan | Limerick City & County Council Arts Officer |
| Pippa Little | Limerick City & County Council Assistant Arts Officer |
| Kate Kennelly | Kerry County Council Arts Officer |
| Caroline Lynch | Kerry County Council Arts Officer |
| Traolach O’Fionnáin | Donegal County Council Arts Officer |
Limerick Community Cast: |
|
| Young Moya | Sadhbh O’Donovan |
| Young Jimmy | Dylan Lyons |
| Moya’s parents on tractor | Mark Lyons & Lisa McLoughlin |
| Ushers | Sara Granda, Abbie Condon, Lena Siew |
| Choir | Zion Vocal Ensemble |
| Tractor | Supplied by Kevin Neville |
Kerry Community Cast: |
|
| Young Moya | Saoirse Wenk |
| Young Jimmy | Jack Timothy O’Shea |
| Moya’s parents on tractor | Shakti Ji, Pharaii Dambisa, David Lenihan, Juncal Nogales |
| Choir | Siamsa Tire Choir |
| Tractor | Supplied by John Kerins |
Donegal Community Cast: |
|
| Young Moya | Keira Keogh |
| Young Jimmy | Jack Deasley |
| Moya’s parents on tractor | Niamh Harkin Browne, Ciaran Browne |
| Ushers | Emma Chudley, Siofra Harvey, Ciara McDevitt, Jessica Duffy, Saidbh Harte, Angelique Mourier |
| Choir | Joshua Duffy, Anthony Redmond, Sharon Gillesspie, Shauna Scanlan, Geraldine Harkin, Heather Neilands, Marie Murphy, Rose Deery, Claire Deery, Eimear Gallen |
| Tractor | Supplied by Gerry Crawford |
