SMOKE
Created and performed by Alexis Gregory
Directed by Campbell X
+
You Are Loved panel.
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.
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”).
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.
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 each SMOKE performance, YAL will host a specially curated forty-five 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.
SMOKE and You Are Loved tour in a unique partnership combining culture and community, presenting two interlinked events for audiences.
Reviews for SMOKE:
"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
Praise for Alexis Gregory’s previous work:
“Frank, warm and uninhibited” – Evening Standard
“Queer theatre doesn’t get more essential” – Metro
“Gregory has proved one of the most idiosyncratic and provocative queer artists on the British stage” – The Stage
“This stand-out piece of theatre will become part of LGBTQ cultural heritage” – Attitude
Previous Top Picks: Evening Standard, Metro, Attitude, i-D, Sunday Express, Time Out, The Queer Review.
Trigger warnings:
SMOKE and the YAL panel contain adult language, homophobic language, references to; homophobic assault, drug misuse, sexual abuse and grooming, grief, mental health issues, psychosis, stalking, suicide.
Running times:
SMOKE 60 min.
Interval / break 10 min.
You Are Loved panel 45 min.
SMOKE is funded by Arts Council England.
SMOKE image by Tyler Kelly.
SEATING/ACCESSIBILITY
All seating is unreserved. If you require a designated wheelchair space, please contact info@ironworks-studios.co.uk and let us know in advance. If you are eligible for a free PA/carer ticket, please apply here- https://www.ironworks-studios.co.uk/accessibility
By purchasing a ticket you are agreeing to the venue's Terms and Conditions- https://www.ironworks-studios.co.uk/terms-conditions