Theatre / LGBTQ+ community
Bristol Pride presents ‘SMOKE’ from acclaimed theatremaker Alexis Gregory
After an initial sellout run in 2024, acclaimed queer theatremaker Alexis Gregory is returning to UK stages this year with a tour of his “savage comedy” SMOKE – which visits The Wardrobe Theatre on May 12, presented by Bristol Pride.
Described as his “most daring and uncompromising work to date”, the solo show is written and performed by Gregory, and directed by Campbell X. As collaborators, both have a fascination with making work that documents erased and hidden queer narratives.
SMOKE begins with a digital glitch, when central character ‘Alex’ is sent an Instagram DM from a former boyfriend who has been dead for two years.
As Alex searches for the truth, the plot charts the subsequent deterioration of his psychological state, examining grief, identity, psychosis and drug use within the queer community in the digital age.
In writing the play, Gregory drew on his own direct experience of an online hack, as well as wider research into mental health of young gay men – many of whom were falling into addiction.
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Citing the “collective queer shame” that he believes can preclude difficult themes from being amplified, Campbell X points to Gregory’s ability to skewer LGBTQ+ lives with wit and honesty: “SMOKE demands we lift the lid with dark humour and pathos,” he explains, “to go on an emotional journey”.
Following each performance on the tour, there will be a 45-minute panel discussion hosted by You Are Loved – whose stated mission is to reduce deaths by suicide and drugs within the LGBTQ+ community through support, discussion and increased awareness.
Marc Svensson is the founder and CEO of the organisation. “This partnership is not only a tour de force performance about queer mental health, addiction, and loss”, he comments, “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.”
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Bristol Pride presents SMOKE + a post-show You are Loved panel discussion at The Wardrobe Theatre on May 12 at 7.30pm. Age recommendation 16+. Tickets are available at www.thewardrobetheatre.com.
Follow @alexis.gregory, @campbellx and @youareloved.cic for updates.
Bristol Pride runs from June 27-July 12, with Pride Day on July 11. For more information and tickets, visit www.bristolpride.co.uk.
Main photo: Tyler Kelly
Read next:
· Luke Hereford’s ‘Nice Things: A Queer Love Story’ to visit The Wardrobe Theatre
· Review: Smalltown Boy, The Weston Studio, Bristol Old Vic – ‘An engaging, funny and poignant four-hander’
· Review: Sh!t Theatre: Or What’s Left of Us, The Weston Studio, Bristol Old Vic – ‘Life-affirming and profound: shot through with a raw beauty and humanity’
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