Mister Jackpot
Tragicomedy · Solo show · Physical theatre
Age suitability: 16+ (Guideline)
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY: Tom Corradini
PERFORMED BY: Nike Redding
Mister Jackpot lives in Lexington, Kentucky. He leads
a double life — on one side the monotony of a job at
a garden equipment company, on the other the dream
of being a winner like James Bond: money, women,
luxury cars.
A chance encounter with a slot machine unlocks his
darkest side. What begins as excitement becomes
obsession. A tragicomic journey into the mind of a
compulsive gambler — and the inner demon he has
made a deal with.
DIRECTOR’S NOTES: Gambling addiction is one of the
most invisible of dependencies — it develops inside
socially accepted behaviour, hidden behind the thrill
of the game.
I wanted to explore this world from the inside: not
as a moral lesson, but as a human story. The story
of a man who wanted to win everything — and lost
himself instead.
Edinburgh Fringe 2026 · 6–21 August
This show has now concluded its Fringe run. For future dates and touring information: www.tomcorradini.it
❝ Very well performed show …A fairly dark theme enlivened by considerable wit and performance skills that include not only physical activity but also a very attractive crooning voice ❞
❝A really enjoyable hour – the acting is memorable, with a lot of humour to enliven a difficult story, backed up by great use of mime, impressions and puppets all very much bringing ‘Mister Jackpot’ vividly to life. ❞
❝This show was very touching to me. I particularly appreciated the fact that the rather dark story was told with a certain lightness. Incredibile acting from Nike Redding who was able to perfectly balance technical precision with emotional honesty.❞
Professional critics
★★★★
Rialto Arts Hub
“This is a really smart depiction of gambling, on a strictly formal level. It explains the hormonal drives that move us to gamble.”
TOURING & BOOKING INFORMATION
For programmers and festival directors:
BIO OF THE ACTOR
Nike Redding – www.nikeredding.com (M.F.A. in Physical Theatre) is a performing artist and writer originally from Kentucky, USA. His work focuses on vocal and physical expression, musicality, and the use of poetic text. Nike has been an actor and collaborator with Broken Jump since 2006, debuting with the show “Rhapsodie X.” Additionally, he writes poetry for the literary magazine “Mr. Wilson’s Ulcer” and performs and directs with the “Flights of Angels” company, where he also conducts educational work on Shakespeare. In 2020, he lived and worked in France at the “Centre Artistique International du Roy Hart,” where he collaborated on the staging of “Zauber,” a performance based on Mozart’s The Magic Flute, directed by Ian Magilton.
DOWNLOAD THE FREE SHOW GUIDE
Mister Jackpot comes with a companion guide showing how the show’s dramaturgical structure follows an in-depth research into the psychological mechanisms of gambling addiction — originally created for schools and healthcare professionals. Enter your email to receive your free copy.
MISTER JACKPOT ON AMAZON
The script for the show is also available on Amazon in Kindle format.
All plays written by Tom Corradini are published on Amazon. We believe in making our scripts accessible because we know that reading them is a completely different experience from seeing the show live. Our theater is highly physical—what is seen on stage goes far beyond what can be captured in words on a page.
YOU DON’T HAVE TO PLAY THIS HAND ALONE
Gambling addiction is one of the most invisible dependencies — it hides behind
socially accepted behaviour, behind the thrill of the game, behind the idea that
it could never happen to “someone like me.” That invisibility is part of the
stigma: the belief that a compulsive gambler must be somehow different, weaker,
or predisposed. One of the goals of Mister Jackpot is to challenge that. It’s not a moral lesson
— it’s a human story, told from the inside, so that the people watching can
recognise how easily anyone might fall into that trap.
If any of this feels close to home — for you or someone you know — you don’t
have to carry it alone. These organisations offer free, confidential support:
GamCare
offers 24/7 support to people experiencing or affected by someone else’s
gambling. You can contact them on 0808 8020 133. There is
also the option to message and join a peer support online network.
RCA Trust
offers 1:1 dedicated counselling to people who are experiencing gambling harm
or affected by someone else’s gambling. You can contact them through phone or
email.