Gay Bingo engenders
a good time

By Jon Campisi
Times Staff Writer

The tag line says it all: "This is not your grandmother’s bingo."
But that doesn’t mean there were no grandmothers taking part. In fact, the crowd was quite diverse, a testament to the type of event Gay Bingo truly is.
"They are people from all walks of life, really," Robb Reichard said of the participants. "At least half of the audience, on any given month, is straight. People from the suburbs, from the city, (ages) eighteen to ninety."
Reichard is executive director of the Philadelphia AIDS Fund, a non-profit organization that supports HIV/AIDS education, prevention and related services in the Delaware Valley. He has been involved with the group for nine years.
On June 14, the Gershman Y on Broad Street in Center City played host to Rocky Horror Gay Bingo, a movie-themed event designed to raise money for the AIDS Fund by giving a fresh twist to the cult classic Rocky Horror Picture Show.
For Reichard, a Northeast Philly resident, the chance to head downtown and have some fun while raising money for a good cause was one he couldn’t pass up. The same could be said for others inside the Gershman Y on this Saturday night, where about 500 people turned out to play games in this latest installment of Gay Bingo, which is held weekly — the theme always changes — during nine months of the year.
"It can get risqué, but obviously that’s all part of the fun," Reichard said of the event. "We’re not here to offend anybody; we’re here to have fun and raise some money."
That message rang true for Brian Strachan. Typically, the Collegeville resident spends his days working as the director of dance costume at the University of the Arts. But on this night, Strachan donned a costume of his own, one usually worn by Ms. Thundershowers, and not Brian Strachan.
"I thought it would be fun," Strachan said of his decision to be part of these ongoing Gay Bingo fund-raisers, which he learned about from his life partner Domenick Scudera, also a volunteer.
In addition to keeping the bingo players entertained, Strachan and Scudera served as members of the BVDs — or Bingo Verifying Divas. The job description is just what it says — verify each bingo win of the evening to prevent cheating, not that such disappointing conduct would be expected at this fund-raiser.
But a big part of their job is to ensure that the bingo players and others who stop by are having a good time. At the start of this particular evening, the BVDs took to the stage for an opening song-and-dance routine. Each performer then was introduced by Shady Pines, the master . . . uh, the "mistress" of ceremonies.
"They’re kind of our circus clowns, or rodeo clowns," Reichard jokingly said of the BVDs.
Strachan, who never participated in Gay Bingo until this year, said the fun and camaraderie most likely will inspire him to volunteer again at future events.
"So far it’s been great," he said. "It’s been fun. I met a lot of nice people, had a good time."
Kelly Groves, who played the part of Shady Pines, the emcee, said this was his second year hosting the event. He used to show up to play bingo, Groves explained, but then he became involved on the entertainment front after having been literally pulled onstage during a later Gay Bingo session.
"They dared me to come up in drag, and I did," he said.
Groves enjoys participating in Gay Bingo because, as he describes the evening, it’s "totally unscripted, fly-off-the-cuff."
"It’s not just bingo, it’s also a floor show," he said.
"And a train wreck sometimes," Reichard added with a laugh.
Groves agrees with Reichard’s assessment of the bingo evening as pure fun. Nobody takes himself too seriously, he said, which just adds to the enjoyment. And as for those who visit the Gershman Y to play bingo, there’s no cutoff point, age or otherwise.
"We have grandmothers who come and love it," Groves said.
The admission to Gay Bingo is $20. The Saturday games officially begin at 7 p.m. at the Gershman Y, Broad and Pine streets, and a new season of Gay Bingo will start in September.
The June 14 event was the first time Philadelphia residents James Williams and Louis Graham stopped by, primarily because Gay Bingo had piqued their curiosity.
"(I came) just to see the difference of what Gay Bingo was like," Graham said.
Asked his opinion of the intricate costumes worn by the entertainers, and the interactive ways of the volunteers, Graham summed it up in one word: "Fantastic."
Friends Elizabeth McFall and Michele Aldarelli, both of Roxborough, said they learned of the offbeat bingo fund-raiser through co-workers at the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia. Out of curiosity, they decided to try their bingo luck.
"The girls from work come and they say it’s really cool," McFall said.
Aldarelli, a big fan of Rocky Horror Picture Show, enjoyed seeing the re-creations of characters from the campy comedy/musical that debuted in 1975.
While the Gay Bingo evening was anything but serious, it’s no laughing matter when it comes to HIV/AIDS, and proceeds of the event are devoted to programs and research.
A friend of McFall’s died of AIDS at age 28, and she supports anything that will benefit research and continued awareness of the disease of the immune system.
"It was sad, very sad," she said of her friend’s passing. "I think it (fund-raising) is needed, definitely. I think it’s great. I think it’s fabulous. People have to be made aware."
According to Reichard, Gay Bingo has been taking place in Philadelphia for 13 years. And although it started in Seattle, Wash., at some point in the early to mid-1990s, the City of Brotherly Love can boast longevity.
"We’re really the longest, continually running one in the country," he said.
Gay Bingo events in Philadelphia have generated more than $2 million in proceeds during those 13 years, Reichard said. The recent Rocky Horror event brought in $14,000.
"It’s remained pretty steady from the beginning," Reichard said of the annual funds, noting that the Gay Bingo events are almost always sold out.
The Philly game also has some devoted fans — Reichard still remembers one fellow in particular a couple years ago.
"This guy actually drove up from Florida just to come to Gay Bingo," Reichard said.
Other places that host Gay Bingo include Dallas, New York City and Washington, D.C.
Reichard said the different themes for Gay Bingo are thought up by both the volunteers and players. Other themes from this past year included The Sound of Music Gay Bingo, Twisted Toga Gay Bingo and Glamour Goth Gay Bingo.
"Some themes are more popular than others," Reichard said. "We try to find stuff that the audience likes to get involved in." ••
Gay Bingo events are held September through June, with the exception of October, when the AIDS Walk takes place. To learn more about Gay Bingo or the AIDS Fund, visit www.myspace.com/gaybingophilly or www.aidsfundphilly.org