Casino Zero

Croupier needs to buy a caravan for her and her ex-gambling-addict grandad, but she’s stuck in a sleeping pod. She works at Casino Zero, where Manager Janet hounds her to eat Chum Bars for energy. Dark comedy and surreal horror runs through this dystopian tale of loss, punctuated with melodic, loop-station soundscapes, crafted live with casino props.

Inspired by two years of night shifts working as a croupier, this one-woman play highlights the social issues of gambling culture, caricaturing the industry through the eyes of a female, working-class writer from Nottingham.

“In my early twenties, I worked in a Nottingham casino, dealing roulette, blackjack and three-card poker; immersed in the dark world of gambling addiction, night shifts and a regimented, hierarchical staff culture. Fast forward a few years - I was working at LeftLion Magazine instead and had joined Mouthy Poets collective where I developed poetry and performances based on my experiences as a croupier. 

Challenged by mentors and peers to develop my ideas, I strung together extended shows and collections of my poetic works. I eventually had more space and time to write, develop my performance craft and explore Casino Zero through a writing residency at Nottingham Trent University, and then a Develop Your Creative Practice grant from Arts Council England. 

Through training, mentorship and collaborations with poet/playwright Debris Stevenson, sound poet Hannah Silva, comedian James Cook, playwright Hugh Dichmont, loop station artist and beatboxer Motormouf, director Siobhan Cannon-Brownlie, Casino Zero further evolved. The show was now a full-length play with a storyline holding four characters, all played by myself, punctuated with loop station soundscapes created live - reflecting the cyclical, repetitive nature of the casino environment. Scratch performances have appeared at Hockley Hustle Festival, Nonsuch Studios, and We Out Here Festival. 

In 2023, I was made Creative Associate at Nottingham Playhouse, who supported me in an Arts Council England Project grant to research, develop and perform Casino Zero as a headline act at their 2023 Amplify Festival.”