Fringe boss eyes smoking ban change
FRINGE director Paul Gudgin today said he would lobby for a change in the legislation that bans smoking onstage in theatres if performers felt it was interfering with their work.
This year's Fringe is the first since Scotland's blanket smoking ban came into force and the ban offers no exemption for actors who smoke on stage as part of their performance.
Mr Gudgin was reported as saying, "This is the first Fringe since the legislation has come into effect and it will be interesting to see how venues and shows react. If a significant number of performers feel the ban is affecting their work on a creative level, then this an issue we'll be obliged to raise again with the Scottish Executive."
Last week actor Mel Smith, who is to play Churchill in a Fringe production, hit out at the smoking ban and claimed it would have been approved by Hitler.
Brian Monteith, the former Tory independent MSP, said the ban should be lifted for theatre productions.
He was reported as saying: "Scotland is the only place in the world where smoking is banned for actors on stage.
"All over America, where bans are in place, there is an exemption for this."
