A new queer thriller meets savage comedy from acclaimed queer creatives Alexis Gregory (Riot Act) and directed by award-winning filmmaker, Campbell X (Stud Life, Low Rider) with post-show panel discussion from You Are Loved
Alex wakes one morning to a new message on Insta from his boyfriend, Ben. But Ben died two years ago. What appears to be an everyday hack soon turns into something else as Alex’s life spirals out of control.
Raw, and stripped back, the conversational SMOKE is a hard-hitting, savage comic-thriller about another dead gay guy on social media, drugs, the Demon Twink in Starbucks, and Mariah Carey. SMOKE is the newest play from acclaimed queer theatre-maker, Alexis Gregory (Riot Act), whose work has appeared in the West End, across London, the UK, and internationally, and is directed by the award-winning filmmaker, Campbell X (Stud Life, Low Rider).
“A whirlwind of suspense…unsettling and thought-provoking….Gregory is writing straight from the soul.”
The Reviews Hub
“Riveting… will have you wholeheartedly captivated from beginning to end… Gregory is a compelling performer… the audience hang on his every word… a masterful storyteller.”
Rated Reviewed
“Gregory has proved one of the most idiosyncratic and provocative queer artists on the British stage.”
The Stage on Alexis Gregory
Post-Show Panel Discussion
Non-profit organisation You Are Loved (YAL), created in response to disproportionately high rates of premature deaths from suicide and drugs in the LGBTQ+ community, focuses on addressing the root causes, including stigma, shame and loneliness. Post-performance, YAL will host a specially curated 45 minute panel, unique to each town and city on the tour, involving local LGBTQ+ figures, exploring how SMOKE’s themes crossover with YAL’s work, in mobilising the community to get better at talking, sharing and supporting each other.
Trigger Warnings
SMOKE and the YAL panel contains: adult language, homophobic language, references to; homophobic assault, drug misuse, sexual abuse and grooming, grief, mental health issues, psychosis, stalking, suicide.
