SMOKING BAN Scotland ‘.'.’lll stub out for the last t-rne as the total ban on smoking ll‘. enclosed priblrr: spaces; takes force in the 'heart disease (:aprta' of l tr'ope'
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NEW TERRITORIES A cutting edge festival of dance and performance art. This; year the action includes a performance by the great (lance iconoclast Michael Clark
OSCARS
()ur longshot bets; are on l lottrnan anrl l-ltiflrrran (see opposite page. bottom). Brit lexwer Wins. Will the payback be any better than tor last Year's; winner. Rat/’2
The ashtray of history
England may have wimped out, but Scotland is going for an outright
ban on smoking in public places. Great news, says Morag Bruce.
ext time you take a flight. ponder for a moment the non-smoking signs above your head. 'I‘hey still light up. serving as a reminder to nicotine hungry passengers that they can’t. but the signs are redundant because it‘s a given that the notion of fogging tip the already decrepit much-shared air is repugnant. liancy watching the latest film release through an impenetrable. lingering cloud'.’ What about sitting on a bus packed with commuters beagling it up‘.’ Or there‘s the grimness of 21 trains smoking carriage. enough to make you wish for a quicker death than smoking could ever bring. British Airways only started banning smoking on flights to Australia in 1993. and toys were
initially thrown out of prams. Then. being smoke-free slipped into everyday consciousness. Hold onto your trousers though: (ram on Sunday 26 March spells doomsday for smoking in enclosed public places. Smoke- free restaurants are easily compreherulable. but non-smoking nightclubs and gigs? It‘s a weird concept. While restaurants with outdoor spaces will be rushing to install patio heaters (at roughly £300 a shot). it‘s not so clear how punters will be able to nip out for a sneaky tag from a club night at the Arches. or from a gig at the Venue. In Dublin. it’s said that there's now a queue for clubbers waiting to be let outside. one by one. fora solitary smoke.
INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL Rapidly growing in stature. the annual laughter lest hosts the likes of Chris Addison and Phil Kay this; year.
GLASGOW CEILIDH CULTURE
A straightforward celebration of all things Scottish. With music. dance. poetry and storytelling at a range of venues across; Edinburgh
ls Scotland ready to release its yellowing grasp on that cigarette packet'.’ Scottish health minister Andy Kerr thinks so. ‘In just a few years. the concept of smoke-filled pubs and restaurants will be unthinkable. just as we now consider it abhorrent that someone would drink and drive.‘
lixpected reactions: It‘s an infringement of our human rights! Businesses will crumble! Mr Kerr? ‘We‘re not out to get smokers. We want to help the seven out of ten smokers who want to give up. brrt let's not forget that people who choose not to smoke have a right to be protected from the health risks of passive smoking and to work and socialise in smoke-free air.
‘lnternational research suggests that the ban will reduce the incidence of tobacco-related diseases and save lives. (‘igarette sales in lreland decreased by l5‘7r between 2003 and 2004 and l()().()()() smokers in New York quit in
the first year.’
Norway has had similar restrictions A since 2004. Rune (irytting. owner of a bar in Oslo. says that business has been unaffected by the ban. ‘We’ve had a very positive reaction from customers.‘ he says. ‘lnitially we lost a few of the after- work crowd. but we've gained new customers who enjoy the smoke—free atmosphere.‘ They're not ones to miss a trick though: 'We’ve a put a large sail over our courtyard area. and added heatlarnps and blankets. creating an outdoor space that smokers can use all year round.’
Undoubtedly some comedy and theatre will suffer from the ban: how. for example. can Chas Early (pictured) return to Scotland with his smoke-filled play Bill Hicks: Slight Return? The cigarette has acted as a classic stage metaphor for all sorts of naughty goings on. including sex. loneliness and lots more besides. Will theatre ever be the same again if we have to endure actors brandishing a glowing fake?
But worry not. If you really want to immerse your lungs in a noxious soup then you‘ll just have to go outside to smoke. I'll see you there.
Six people whose careers will take a quantum leap over the next 12 months
ALEXANDER MCCALI. SMITH (summer) The Scottish institution should go ballistic with BB
adaptations of 44 Scotland Street and The Sunday Philosophy Club.
THE TEAM (Aug) Following last year‘s Fringe First-winning (and
List Festival Award shortlisted) shows. the US theatre group return for another. even bigger bite of the Festival cherry.
18 THE LIST 5 —19 Jan 2006
Good Luck will propel him into the premier league. JEREMY DYSON 5 (Apr) The non-acting .f League of Gentlemen guy launches his debut novel. What Happens Now, about the lives of child actors being altered horribly due to a dark
DAVID STRATHAIRN (Feb) Having given strong support down the years. his role in George Clooney‘s Good Night and - historical drama.
COCK AND BULL STORY (Jan) After a few false starts, Lawrence Sterne’s Tristram Shandy
finally makes it on screen in Michael Winterbottom’s oddball adaptation.
KATE DAVIS (Apr) After a strong 2005. this rising star from the Sorcha Dallas stable will gain further international recognition in a major show at Kunsthalle Basel.