Gambling

Hannah Walker & Co Presents GAMBLE At Edinburgh Fringe

Published

5 months ago

June 21, 2024

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Hannah Walker & Co Presents GAMBLE At Edinburgh Fringe

Hannah Walker & Co will present Gamble, an exploration of the online gambling industry based on conversations with experts and experience of being in love with a compulsive gambler, to be presented at Summerhall, Cairns Lecture Theatre, 1 – 26 Aug 2024 (not 12 & 19), 16:30 (17:25). Co-created by Hannah Walker & Rosa Postlethwaite

Based on Hannah Walker’s personal experiences of being in a relationship with a compulsive gambler, Gamble is a bittersweet multimedia theatre production that peers behind the glittery curtain of jackpots and big wins to explore the complexities of addiction and the effects it has on themselves and their loved ones. From changes of personality, living with secrecy, and a loss of tens of thousands of pounds, Hannah talks about how living with a compulsive gambler affected them both, aiming to raise awareness and de-stigmatise addiction and the pre-judgements of those who struggle with it.

Gamble features interviews with experts, health professionals, those in recovery and their loved ones. The show works to capture the breadth of addiction and its far-reaching ripple effects. The gambling industry (according to the Gambling Commission) is worth an estimated £15.1 billion in Great Britain, with overall participation in any gambling activity involving an estimated 44% of our adult population.

Professional insight and advice from Dr Matthew Gaskell, Clinical Lead and Consultant Psychologist for the NHS Northern Gambling Service, will be integrated throughout the performance, Hannah will also host coffee and cake ‘change-making’ events with Matthew around Edinburgh during Edinburgh Fringe, where people can share their experiences of gambling in a safe space and discuss how local authorities can support those affected by gambling addiction. Further information on this to be confirmed.

Co-creator and performer Hannah Walker said, “We’re fresh off a national tour of Gamble, where conversations with audiences have led to NHS referrals and networking with activists working in gambling reform, which has been incredible! Our hopes with taking the show to Summerhall at Edinburgh Fringe this August is to keep that momentum going and raise even more awareness around addiction and the stigma around those who live with it.”

Hannah Walker is a comedy performer and theatre maker. She creates autobiographical shows to open up conversations about stigmatized aspects of everyday life. Subjects that are mundane, curious, dangerous or delightful, she makes performances that are relatable and entertaining for her audiences. She is an Associate Artist with The Six Twenty and regularly performs with them. She co-hosts PUG: an alternative performance night, co-facilitates Coax: a performance workshop and is a reader with InterAct Stroke Support. Gamble premiered in 2022 and toured in 2023.