Nick LX Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 Hello,Is smoking on stage at a school allowed at all considering the director believes it to be a vital part of the play. Are there any documents I can look at? And also the actors are over 18, just in case that makes a difference. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johndenim Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 Smoking is banned in ANY public place in the UK. (apart from prisons and the houses of parliament) Info here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ynot Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 I'm rather surprised that a director of a school play is even considering using real cigarettes in the first place, regardless of rules & regs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 Hi, When we did the production of Grease the actors did smoke on stage with real cigarettes because a guy who works closley with my school said it was ok providing we had a good reason. (He said he covered it at uni)All the actors where over 18 and we did this 2 or 3 years ago (cant quite remember!!!) Hope that helps... Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie Everington Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 Yes it used to be acceptable to do. But we now have this smoking ban! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jammie300 Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 All the actors where over 18 and we did this 2 or 3 years ago (cant quite remember!!!) Don't forget the smoking ban came into force on 1st July 2007. So you may have done your performance before the ban James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revbobuk Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 This is what the NAYT says:Advice on smoking on stage The following is an interpretation of the law and what NAYT believes to be the case. However we would urge anyone concerned to look into this for themselves - NAYT cannot be held responsible for any misintepretations of the law. The law in England regarding smoking has recently changed. We should all strive to discourage smoking and no-one should be seen to promote or condone it. In theatre performances, smoking is acceptable if it can be justified artistically. NAYT would advise that the Artistic Director provides a statement saying why smoking is artistically justified. It is also advisable for the organisation to apply to its local Environmental Health team (but this is not obligatory) as it may help if a member of the audience makes a complaint (re. the ban on smoking in public places). You are not allowed to rehearse smoking apart from once at the final Dress rehearsal. You must provide notices saying that this performance contains smoking. All of the above are the legal guidance for all theatres. However in youth theatre there is the issue of young people and we would advise that no-one should encourage a young person to smoke tobacco-based products as part of their involvement in youth theatre. With or without parental consent, there are issues of the other young people in the cast (they could bring a case against you for passive smoking) and in terms of role models, etc. The director should consider alternatives, like not actually lighting the cigarette or using a non-tobacco based replica (be careful though as herbal brands contain tar). For more information go to: But that was compiled a while ago, and it's certainly the case that Scotland is moving towards/has adopted a complete ban (i.e. no exemptions.) Given that there are work-arounds, I think (IANAL) that you would be better off forgetting the real cigs, especially in a youth production. (sorry - forgot to include a link: clicky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agermich Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 The NAYT info in the post above sounds about right. Generally we ask the director to help write a written statement as to why the smoking is justified and then send this off to the local council along with relevant sections of the script. They have never had any major objections and there's less likely to be any fallout from audience complaints if the council have been informed in advance. We also ensure that there is adequate signage at entrances to let the audience know that there will be smoking in the performance. I'll be honest though, we have avoided any smoking in "young peoples" (these can include people up to age 22) performances as it is quite difficult to justify and I don't feel that it would be responsible of us to allow it. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 In Wales, there's an absolute ban with no exceptions - no smoking at all on stage, full stop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve h Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 Most LEAs have an outright ban of smoking on school sites. This is why teachers will go off site for a crafty fag and why sixth formers cant smoke on site. This will apply to everything including school plays/drama exams etc. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Edwards Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 We put on a HE piece with Winston Churchill [clearly artistically justified].They didn't like the fake cigars within their budget.I contacted the local authority and told them what we were doing and the measures we were taking and they said it was fine. Our theatre is attached to a college...which has a self imposed ban on smoking anywhere on campus. Personally, I think the only justification for allowing smoking in a performance in a school is if the piece is about the dangers of smoking. To wheel out the old chesnut...Dot Cotton smokes in 'her own home' (i.e. studio) all the time... Andrew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 Smoking is banned in ANY public place in the UK. here.This is wrong! The Smoking Law specifically allows smoking (for artistic reasons) as part of a stage production. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Congresstech Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 May we refer you to Gareth's post, #9. I had somebody light a ciggy up on stage as part of his show, (a famous female impersonator), with no previous consultation on the matter. Cue the local EHO and a huge investigation, and a massive B*llocking for the executive commitee. Smoking is banned in any public place in Wales, as Gareth has said previously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jammie300 Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 The Smoking Law specifically allows smoking (for artistic reasons) as part of a stage production. Is there any where you can show this or prove this to us? James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Edwards Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 Applies to ENGLAND. "The law also includes a limited exemption for performers, which applies to the performer only during the performance, where the artistic integrity of a performance makes it appropriate for a person who is taking part to smoke." From Direct.gov Under exceptions. or the actual regs on opsi Andrew. Edit for clarification. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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