YOUTH. PASSION. DESIRE. AND THE ABYSS THAT LAYS BENEATH.
The debut play by Hugo Gutteridge opening in Melbourne this November.
MEDIA RELEASE: MELBOURNE, NOVEMBER 2026: the truth and absurdity of
life as a young Melbournian will step out from the nightclubs and onto the
stage as Hugo Gutteridge’s SMOKE debuts in St Kilda.
Directed by Bagryana Popov and starring a host of young Naarm/Melbourne
based actors including Sam Buckley (37), Lachlan Hamill (Berlin), Cassidy Dunn
(Beyond the Neck) and Hugo Gutteridge (Death of a Salesman), this intense
and absurd dark comedy written in the voice and style of Melbourne’s youth
will play a strictly limited season at TheatreWorks Explosives Factory from 18th
November 2026.
An early morning in an inner-city club starts to meld into the surreal as its smoking area becomes a stage for ghosts of the past, inter-dimensional drug dealers and good old fashion existential dread.
Written and produced by Hugo Gutteridge, SMOKE reflects the feelings of young adults of the city’s night life in the 21st century. To reveal the anxiety, the apathy and confusion, as well as the hope and the desire for connection and
love.
It is a love letter to Melbourne’s club culture and to those hours before dawnwhen almost anything could happen.
SMOKE will play a strictly limited season at TheatreWorks Explosives Factory, St
Kilda from November 18th to November 28th
The show runs for 90 minutes without intermission
Tickets for SMOKE start at $38 plus b
