Culture Watch: Smoke
Alexis Gregory explores grief, psychosis and drug use within the queer community.
After premiering the work in London, Alexis Gregory is taking his production of Smoke on tour around the UK.
The story begins with a glitch: Alex receives an Instagram DM from his boyfriend who has been dead for two years. From there, the play charts Alex’s desperate search for the truth and subsequent unravelling and explores grief, psychosis and drug use within the queer community.
"I wrote smoke based on my own experiences and those unfolding around me..." explains Alexis Gregory. "Smoke is quite a departure for me, in style and how we stage, but I am still, as I always love to do, blending the dark humour alongside the hard-hitting in the writing."
"I jumped at the opportunity to work with Alexis as his theatre work is a powerful creative and historic document about LGBTQ lives..." says the production's director, Campbell X. "Smoke delves into difficult terrain navigated by gay men in terms of grief, identity, mental health and addiction. Topics often hidden in story telling because of collective queer shame. Smoke demands we lift the lid with dark humour and pathos to go on an emotional journey."
The show will be touring in partnership with LGBTQ+ non-profit You Are Loved to create a two-part experience for audiences, with a post-show panel to explore local conversations around the show’s themes.
"This partnership is not only a tour de force performance about queer mental health, addiction, and loss but also a space for local LGBTQ+ communities and allies to come together to talk, share and support each other through discussions about topics disproportionately affecting our community such as shame, loneliness, and grief..." says Marc Svensson, founder and CEO of You Are Loved.
Tour Dates
21st – 25th April 2026
- Omnibus Theatre, 1 Clapham Common North Side, London, SW4 0QW
- https://www.omnibus-clapham.org/
28th April 2026
- Co-presented by Giddy Up
- White Rock Theatre, Studio 27, White Rock, Hastings,TN34 1JX
- https://whiterocktheatre.org.uk/
30th April 2026
- Ironworks Studios, 30 Cheapside, Brighton, BN1 4GD
- https://www.ironworks-studios.co.uk/
9th May 2026
- Norwich Theatre Royal (Stage Two), Theatre Street, Norwich, NR2 1RL
- https://norwichtheatre.org/
12th May 2026
- Co-presented by Bristol Pride
- The Wardrobe Theatre, 25 West Street, Bristol, BS2 0DF
- https://thewardrobetheatre.com/
14th May 2026
- ARK, Albion Road, Margate, CT9 2HP
- https://www.arkcliftonville.com/
21st May 2026
- Lowry, Pier 8 The Quays, Salford, M50 3AZ
- https://thelowry.com/
4th June 2026
- Hull Truck Theatre, 50 Ferensway, Hull, HU2 8LB
- https://www.hulltruck.co.uk/whats-on/drama/smoke-plus-you-are-loved-panel/
12th June 2026
- Lighthouse, 21 Kingland Road, Poole, BH15 1UG
- https://www.lighthousepoole.co.uk/
20th June 2026
- Nottingham Playhouse, Wellington Circus, Nottingham, NG1 5AF
- https://nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk/
