Where there’s smoke, there’s ire

Cigarette smoking in a Griffin production has caused complaints and a protest; what are the issues around smoking on stage?
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The Australian premiere season of Simon Stephens’ On the Shore of the Wide World, presented by pantsguys and Griffin Independent, has been the subject of a protest over the smoking of cigarettes on stage during the production.

‘We can confirm that an audience member held up an anti-smoking sign in the theatre on Saturday night. They were asked by front of house staff to leave the theatre, and willingly did so,’ said Griffin’s General Manager, Simon Wellington.

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Richard Watts OAM is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, a Melbourne Fringe Festival Living Legend, and was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize in 2020. In 2021 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Green Room Awards Association. Most recently, Richard received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in June 2024. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts