Bingo (play)

Bingo:Scenes of Money and Death
Programme Royal Court Theatre, 1974
Written by	Edward Bond
Characters	William Shakespeare Old Man Old Woman Judith William Combe Young Woman Son Ben Jonson Wally Joan Jerome 2nd Old Woman
Date premiered	14 November 1973
Place premiered	Northcott Theatre, Devon
Original language	English
Subject	Politics, Money, Role of the Artist
Genre	Political drama
Setting	Warwickshire, 1615 and 1616

Bingo: Scenes of Money and Death is a 1973 play by English playwright Edward Bond. It depicts an ageing William Shakespeare at his Warwickshire home in 1615 and 1616, suffering pangs of conscience in part because he signed a contract which protected his landholdings, on the condition that he would not interfere with an enclosure of common lands that would hurt the local peasant farmers. Although the play is fictional, this contract has a factual basis.^[1] Bingo is a political drama heavily influenced by Bertolt Brecht and Epic theatre.^[2] Some have praised Bond's portrayal of Shakespeare while others have criticized it.