Critically acclaimed theatre-maker Alexis Gregory is returning to the stage with SMOKE, a bold new production exploring grief, addiction and mental health within the queer community.
Following a sold-out London run in 2024, the production will now tour the UK in partnership with LGBTQ+ non-profit organisation You Are Loved. Each performance will also include a specially curated post-show panel discussion designed to encourage open conversations around the themes explored in the play.
Written and performed by Gregory, whose previous work includes Riot Act at the Duchess Theatre and FutureQueer at the Kings Head Theatre, SMOKE has been described as his most uncompromising work to date.
The play begins with a shocking twist when Alex receives an Instagram direct message from his boyfriend, despite him having died two years earlier. What follows is a fast-paced contemporary queer thriller charting Alex’s search for answers, his emotional unravelling and themes surrounding grief, psychosis and drug use within the queer community.
Blending dark comedy with psychological drama, the production places performer and audience together in an exposed theatrical setting, removing the traditional divide between stage and audience to create an immersive experience examining queer life in the digital age.
Gregory drew inspiration for the play from his own experiences following an online hack, alongside years spent witnessing addiction and mental health struggles within the LGBTQ+ community, particularly among young gay men.
The production reunites Gregory with award-winning director Campbell X, known for Stud Life and Low Rider. The pair share a creative focus on telling hidden and overlooked queer stories.
After each performance, You Are Loved will host a 45-minute panel discussion featuring local LGBTQIA+ voices and community figures. Each panel will differ depending on the city and will explore how the themes of the production connect to real-life experiences.
Writer and performer Alexis Gregory said: “I wrote SMOKE based on my own experiences and those unfolding around me. 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’m so pleased to be working with SMOKE’s original director Campbell X again, whose unique worldview is inherently part of the project, and teaming up with the trailblazing You Are Loved to create a special two-part touring event for audiences across the country.”
Director Campbell X said: “I jumped at the opportunity to work with Alexis as his theatre work is a powerful creative and historic document about LGBTQ lives. 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.”
Founder and CEO of You Are Loved, Marc Svensson, said: “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.”
