Alexis Gregory announces return of queer hit SMOKE for 2026 UK tour
Each SMOKE performance will be followed by a panel discussion hosted by LGBTQ+ non-profit You Are Loved
By Aaron Sugg
Theatre-maker Alexis Gregory has announced UK tour dates for his 2026 show SMOKE, a queer dark comedy exploring grief after receiving a message from a late boyfriend beyond the grave.
The production will tour from 21 April at Omnibus Theatre, London, culminating at Nottingham Playhouse, Nottingham, on 20 June 2026.
Following a sold-out run in 2024, Gregory reprises his on-stage role as Alex, who receives an Instagram DM from his boyfriend who died two years earlier, triggering a journey through grief, psychosis and drug use.
“I wrote SMOKE based on my own experiences” – Alexis Gregory on his one-man show
As well as starring in the one-man show, the acclaimed theatre-maker also wrote the script, joining forces once again with original director Campbell X.
“I wrote SMOKE based on my own experiences and those unfolding around me,” said Gregory in a news release.
“SMOKE is quite a departure for me, in style and how we stage, but I am still, as I always love to do, blending the dark humour alongside the hard-hitting in the writing.”
SMOKE will be followed by a panel discussion hosted by LGBTQ+ non-profit You Are Loved
On reuniting with his former director, he said: “I’m so pleased to be working with SMOKE’s original director Campbell X again, whose unique worldview is inherently part of the project, and teaming up with the trailblazing You Are Loved to create a special two-part touring event for audiences across the country.”
Each performance will be followed by a panel discussion hosted by LGBTQ+ non-profit You Are Loved on addiction, loneliness and mental health, coinciding with their new campaign, The Silence Ends with Us.
The initiative addresses rising issues of suicide and drug-related harm in the LGBTQ+ community across the UK in memory of Strictly Come Dancing‘s Robin Windsor.
What is The Silence Ends with Us campaign?
The directory honours Windsor, who passed away in 2024. His cause of death was confirmed as suicide two years later.
The campaign introduces Ask Bobby, a national directory designed to help LGBTQ+ people access mental health resources, including community organisations and drug-related harm support groups.
As per a 2025 study, the Office for National Statistics found that members of the community across England and Wales are more than twice as likely to die by suicide and similarly from self-harm.
How to book tickets for Alexis Gregory’s SMOKE
Marc Svensson, founder of You Are Loved, said in a news release: “Too many LGBTQ+ people are dealing with isolation, substance misuse and poor mental health, often behind closed doors. This campaign is about breaking that silence and building a stronger, more visible response.”
SMOKE and You Are Loved tour dates 2026:
* 21–25 April at Omnibus Theatre, London (Clapham)
* 28 April at White Rock Theatre Studio, Hastings
* 30 April at Ironworks Studios, Brighton
* 9 May at Stage Two, Norwich Theatre Royal
* 12 May at The Wardrobe Theatre, Bristol
* 14 May at ARK, Cliftonville (Margate)
* 21 May at The Lowry, Salford
* 4 June at Hull Truck Theatre
* 12 June at Lighthouse, Poole
* 20 June at Nottingham Playhouse
Tickets are available to order now across the official theatre websites.