http://www.tobacco.org/newsfeed/category/theater.rss Latest top tobacco news headlines en-us http://www.silive.com/opinion/letters/index.ssf/2012/01/big_tobacco_spends_billions_to.html http://tobacco.org/news/331980.html My organization, Sundog Theatre, is touring an original, free show -- written with student input -- about the efforts of tobacco companies marketing cigarettes to youth. It's for Staten Island middle-and high-schoolers. Although our Island has a high percentage of young smokers, feedback from students revealed that they are not particularly worried about their own health issues. They are, however, concerned about their parents' smoking and methods they themselves can use to stop smoking. After they discover that tobacco companies see them solely as "replacement smokers" for adults who have either quit or died, they resent being targets. . . . Make it a priority this year to talk to your kids about how far large tobacco companies will go to manipulate them into thinking that smoking is cool and fun. This might just be the approach to keep them from starting. Staten Island Live Thu, 12 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://tobaccoreporter.com/home.php?id=498&art=5386 http://tobacco.org/news/331668.html A leading Singaporean newspaper has urged the government to provide more flexibility in its non-smoking policy, which has led to the cancellation of a play, according to a story in the Taiwan News relayed by Tobacco China Online. 'Only You', a new play by Taiwan-based film director, Tsai Ming-liang, which marks Tsai's return to the theater after 27 years, was originally scheduled to be staged in Singapore in February during the Huayi Festival. Tobacco Reporter Singapore Wed, 14 Dec 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/etn/news_content.php?id=1786019 http://tobacco.org/news/330427.html A leading Singaporean newspaper urged the government of the city state Monday to provide more flexibility on its non-smoking policy that has led to cancellation of the performance there of a new play by Taiwan-based film director Tsai Ming-liang. "Only You," which marks Tsai's return to the theater after 27 years, was originally scheduled to be staged in Singapore in February during Singapore's Huayi Festival, a festival of the arts. However, the performance has been cancelled because some scenes in the play feature smoking, which is strictly prohibited in indoor spaces in Singapore, the Lianhe Zaobao reported. The cancellation has caught the attention of local arts circles and the newspaper published an editorial with its opinion of the issue of a balance between the arts and government policy. . . . It also points out that Taiwan, where indoor smoking is also banned, did not prohibit the play when it was premiered there in late October. CNA - Central News Agency service@taiwannews.com.tw (Central News Agency ) Singapore Tue, 13 Dec 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.monstersandcritics.com/people/news/article_1678820.php/Kevin-Spacey-gave-up-alcohol-and-cigarettes-for-Richard-III http://tobacco.org/news/329950.html Kevin Spacey gave up alcohol and cigarettes for his version of Richard III. "If there was one play that we really, really didn't want to f**k up this was it," said the actor. "The expectations were so high," added Spacey, 52, who is collaborating with acclaimed director Sam Mendes for the play. The Usual Suspects star admitted being very worried about the physical exertion of the three-hour play - which he is performing night after night for almost a year. He was so concerned that he gave up alcohol and cigarettes. Monsters and Critics Sun, 04 Dec 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.uoguelph.ca/shakespeare/essays/tobacco.cfm http://tobacco.org/news/327548.html In 2002 the father-son team of Robert and Scott Shakespeare founded Shakespeare's Cigar Corporation with the creation of their first product, The Shakespeare Signature. Although the corporation's name is most obviously derived from the surname of its founders, they have used the name to its utmost advantage by employing William Shakespeare in their advertising campaign. Shakespeare's portrait and words are present in the logo, slogan, and print advertisements, thus suggesting an intrinsic and permanent relationship between the famous playwright and the cigars. . . . In the print ad feature below the cigars are used to create a theatrical space. A portrait of Shakespeare is framed by two cigars, which seem to mark the perimeter of a stage, while the remaining cigars make-up the audience members. The rich colours of brown, red, blue and gold are also suggestive of a theatrical setting, particularly the Globe Theatre. The connection between Shakespeare and tobacco seems odd, especially considering that tobacco is generally not permitted in the theatre. Why then does a cigar company like Shakespeare's Cigar use William Shakespeare to promote its products? . . . Shakespeare's Cigar Corporation is not alone in using William Shakespeare to market tobacco products. Through the naming of their companies, Macbeth Cigars and Hamlet Cigars directly associate their products with the work of William Shakespeare. Similarly, the American company Thompson Cigar has a line of "Romeo y Julieta" products . . . Although it is unknown whether or not Shakespeare used tobacco, the introduction of the product into England temporally coincides with the years in which Shakespeare (b. 1564-1616) was writing. . . . The first tobacco advertisement at the Stratford Festival appeared in the 1957 souvenir program and was a general advertisement for Imperial Tobacco Canada Limited. . . . Despite the Tobacco Products Control Act (1988) most tobacco companies were able to set up what Rob Cunningham refers to as “shell” companies to promote tobacco-company sponsorship of sporting and cultural events. Imperial’s “shell” companies include: Player’s Ltd, du Maurier Ltd., and Matinee Ltd. . . . One of our primary concerns in conducting this research study has been the focused attempts by both tobacco companies and the Stratford Festival to target and attract young people. In his 2000 study “Targeting youth and concerned smokers: evidence from Canadian tobacco industry documents" . Richard Pollay estimates that 90% of regular smokers begin before the age of 19. Canadian Adaptations of Shakespeare Project Canada Sun, 16 Oct 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/culture/michaelwhite/100055184/the-opera-that-needs-a-government-health-warning/ http://tobacco.org/news/324276.html I'd certainly slap one on Susanna's Secret - a comic one-acter by Wolf-Ferrari that I saw the other night in Kendal Town Hall, playing as part of the opening weekend of this year's Lake District Summer Music festival. It's not a great work, and I can't pretend it was a great show; but it acquired memorability of sorts in that before curtain-up the audience was given a firm warning that Kendal Town Hall operates a strict no-smoking policy. And fair enough, you might say – except that this warning didn't quite allow for the specific requirements of Wolf-Ferrari's score, which functions like an advertisement for the tobacco industry. Susanna's secret, and the plot device that drives the whole piece, is that she smokes. Indulgently, luxuriantly, and persistently. Her husband doesn't like it but he finally forgives her and takes up the habit too – a seriously non-PC finale that invests the whole thing with a sense of "period". This didn't, though, impress the Town Hall staff in Kendal, who informed the singers that they couldn't light up. Electronic Telegraph blogs UK Tue, 02 Aug 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/7/6/55521/74986 http://tobacco.org/news/323028.html You don't see cigarette ads anymore. That's of course due to the many sorts of bans on tobacco advertising put in place over the years, but for the health benefits we've gained from decreased cigarette visibility, we tend to think that the world has missed out on some excellent graphic design. In the early 1900s, when theatre-goers sat down in their plush seats for a play or musical, tobacco was likely very much on their mind (and it stayed like this even through the 1960s). To smoke during, before or after or all of the above? The slick ads inside the program only intensified the desire. Gallery: Vintage New York Theatre Program Ads: Cigarettes Jaunted help@jaunted.com (JetSetCD) Thu, 07 Jul 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704101604576248913802723994.html http://tobacco.org/news/318096.html Marisa Tomei is lying in bed, scowling at her snoring bedmate and blowing cigarette smoke at the ceiling as audience members trickle in and noisily take their seats in the Acorn Theatre. It's the sort of uncomfortable, intimate scene that seems to suit the 46-year-old actress The Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition alexandra.alter@wsj.com (ALEXANDRA ALTER) Fri, 08 Apr 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.theintelligencer.net/page/content.detail/id/552841/Cigar-At-Capitol-Raises-A-Stink.html?nav=515 http://tobacco.org/news/316460.html The Ohio County Tobacco Prevention Coalition is disappointed comedian Ron White was permitted to smoke a cigar on stage at the Capitol Theatre during a recent performance. But Denny Magruder, theater manager, said it is not known whether White smoked a real cigar or an electronic cigar during his Jan. 27 act. Currently, electronic cigarettes and cigars are not banned in Ohio County. . . . Health department Administrator Howard Gamble said he made sure Magruder was aware of the smoking rule. Magruder said Thursday that he informed White's representatives of the smoking ban. But just in case, Magruder had a city firefighter, equipped with a fire extinguisher, standing behind the stage curtain during White's show. "Safety is the No. 1 issue with us - for our guests and audience," Magruder said. Gamble said he received an anonymous complaint about White's on-stage smoking, triggering an investigation by the health department. He said, however, it likely will be difficult to prove in court that the ban was violated because a sanitarian was not there to see White smoking. Wheeling Intelligencer Fri, 11 Mar 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2011/03/10/spain_hair_musical_respects_new_smoking_law/ http://tobacco.org/news/316406.html MADRID--Actors playing joint-puffing hippies in a Spanish adaptation of the American musical "Hair" are not violating a new law banning tobacco-smoking in enclosed public places, an official said Thursday. A spectator had complained it might be tobacco the actors are smoking, and a formal complaint was filed with the play's producers, Barcelona city health department official Manel Pineiro said. But the production company ultimately showed the cigarettes were just herbs like basil. He said a letter was sent a few days ago to the theater saying it was not violating a new Spanish law that bans smoking in all enclosed public places and that the complaint from the spectator had mushroomed out of all proportion. The play's artistic director, Joan Lluis Goas, said the warning the theater had originally received was "too much" and that artistic and cultural expression should be protected from "silliness and irrationality." Separately, a restaurant owner in southern Spain who had emerged as one of the most outspoken critics of the law and let his customers keep smoking -- only to be fined euro145,000 ($200,000) and forced to shut down last month -- reluctantly reopened smoke-free on Thursday, saying he had to make a living and keep his workers employed. Associated Press Spain Thu, 10 Mar 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.scottishsundayexpress.co.uk/features/view/233200/Michael-Ball-I-quit-smoking-when-it-almost-ruined-my-voice http://tobacco.org/news/316228.html MICHAEL BALL, 48, built an international music career on his wonderful singing despite being a heavy smoker for more than 30 years. Here he describes what finally helped him kick the habit... PLAYING on Broadway has to be every stage performer's dream. Yet when I was offered the chance to take my role as Count Fosco in The Woman In White to New York my biggest concern was whether they would let me smoke in the dressing room. There is a kind of arrogance or maybe it's a kind of bloody-mindedness that goes hand in hand with smoking. . . . I have done all the bad things smokers do. I have booked into no-smoking hotel rooms and put shower caps over the smoke detectors. I have smoked when I had horrible chest infections even though my lungs and vocal cords were my living. . . . I'd been smoking since I was 12. It was in 2000, not long after Emma's first child Connor, who is also my godson, was born that I began trying to stop. I tried reading Allen Carr's book Easy Way To Stop Smoking and that worked for a few months until I started saying to myself "I can have just one" . . . Eventually Emma and I went to an Allen Carr face-to-face session and both of us stopped that day. About two weeks later I thought I was weakening so I went back for a top-up session. That was about five years ago. I HAVE never looked back. . . . All I ever do say if the opportunity arises is no matter how many times you've tried to stop before it's always worth one more try to see whether this is the one that works for you. Scottish Daily and Sunday Express news.desk@express.co.uk Mon, 07 Mar 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_29184.shtml http://tobacco.org/news/315140.html Discotheque owners in Spain have been quick to see a new source of income, and are in some cases charging 1€ for the ink stamp to be placed on the wrist of a client who wants to go out into the street for a cigarette. Many party goers are being told to pay the Euro or face being charged the full entrance price to the discotheque on their return. Consumers groups have already seen many complaints, the businessmen in the sector make it clear they are charging for the stamp, not to go outside. Club owners note another effect of the no-smoking rules in closed spaces has been to increase once again the popularity of the botellón street drinking parties, resulting in a corresponding drop in income for the clubs. Meanwhile in Barcelona a member of the public who went to see the musical ‘Hair’ in the city, has denounced the performance as some of the actors were smoking during it on stage. That has a resulted in the Public Health Agency in Barcelona warning those responsible for the show at the Apolo Theatre in the city. TypicallySpanish.com Spain Sun, 13 Feb 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.whiotv.com/news/25851615/detail.html http://tobacco.org/news/311098.html Police in Fairborn are looking for three people they call actors who walk into a store and then act out a skit in an effort to steal cigarettes. Detectives call the group of people creative, and said they have held a performance at three different locations so far. The most recent target was Rich's Cigarette Store in Fairborn. On Wednesday afternoon, officers said two men and a woman walked into the store and told the clerk that their car overheated and that they needed water. WHIO-TV Channel 7 daynews@whiotv.com Fri, 19 Nov 2010 05:00:00 GMT http://www.cavalierdaily.com/2010/10/28/students-put-out-fire-in-helms-theatre/ http://tobacco.org/news/309732.html A small fire broke out in the drama department’s Helms Theatre yesterday morning. The fire started in a prop box and did not spread, said Richard Jones, battalion chief with the Charlottesville Fire Department. The fire department is still investigating the cause of the fire, but Ralph Allen, the University’s director of environmental health and safety, said a malfunctioning prop cigar was probably the cause. “In all likelihood, it was a stage prop that was designed to keep the stage safe,” Allen said. The electronic cigar had not been working but was still kept in the prop box. The battery might have shorted out, starting the fire, he said. The Cavalier Daily Thu, 28 Oct 2010 04:00:00 GMT http://columbus.metromix.com/events/theater_review/review-the-last-smoker/2229766/content http://tobacco.org/news/309055.html Set in a future America where smoking has been outlawed, Pam (played with neurotic perfection by Katy Blake) is craving that last pack of cigarettes she's hidden in the cookie jar. She opens with the up-tempo plea "How Can I Quit Now?" as her wannabe rock star husband, Ernie (John Bolton), enters hilariously writhing and itching for a pack of nicotine gum. The couple's plight is complicated by prying neighbor Phyllis (Natalie Venetia Belcon, last seen starring in "Avenue Q"), a Jesus freak who jumps right into the spirited gospel number "Let the Lord Be Your Addition." . . . When the government declares the very possession of cigarettes punishable with jail time--with those caught smoking facing a 20-year sentence--Pam becomes a felon and goes on the lam to "Fight For the Right to Light Up," leading to a 90-minute tale of love, rebellion, betrayal and redemption ... sort of. . . . Bottom line: "Last Smoker" is a flashy message musical without much of a message. That can be both good and bad. Russell and Melnick aren't exactly praising smoking, but they aren't completely discounting it either, shining a comedic light on the old adage that the absence of one addiction is often just replaced by another. Russell's book predictably incorporates every smoking cliché and pun you can think of, and there are enough plot changes to make your head spin (who abandons their child for a cigarette!?), but it's beautifully executed by a crew of brilliant designers and four ridiculously talented actors. After a few rewrites, it'll definitely be ready for that Broadway debut. Metromix LLC Wed, 06 Oct 2010 04:00:00 GMT