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Bare Witness Theatre Company presents the Melbourne premiere season of

Smokescreen
By Christopher Samuel Carroll

A razor-sharp powerplay about the dark arts of marketing behind climate denial.

It’s 1977. Glenn has a crisis on his hands. He’s had a successful career as a marketing executive for a major Oil company, selling the fuel that powers the American Dream. Now he’s waking up to the damage it’s doing to the climate. In a secret meeting he consults with Bud, a slick young talent from the Tobacco industry, to figure out how to sell a toxic product … and how to live with yourself if you succeed.

Compelling, unnerving, and piercingly relevant, Smokescreen is a psychologically charged battle of wits that reveals how the climate crisis we face today was shaped by the invisible hands of Ad men.

Searing performances by Damon Baudin (Boys on the Verge of Tears, Romeo and Julie), and Christopher Samuel Carroll (I Have No Enemies, The Cadaver Palaver) collide in a pressure-cooker of manipulation, morality, and earth-shattering choices about controlling the narrative while the planet burns.

​​Running for 6 performances only at fortyfivedownstairs in the CBD, this powerful Melbourne premiere is not to be missed! Tickets now selling.

Bare Witness Theatre Company is a Canberra-based company led by Christopher Samuel Carroll, producing physically charged, tourable theatre that draws on the full resources of the actor's craft. As artists based in the nation’s capital they believe in the need for challenging, politically conscious theatre that confronts the major issues of our time through the lens of the human experience. They make theatre that matters.

“Strong tension and excellent performances from both Baudin and Carroll make this piece worth seeing.” – Canberra Times
“Christopher Samuel Carroll has become strongly associated with highly intelligent theatre and this work lives up to that reputation.” – CBR City News
“The writing is dense, detailed, impressively researched and delivered brilliantly by the two actors.” – Australian Arts Review

Written and Directed by Christopher Samuel Carroll
Performed by Christopher Samuel Carroll and Damon Baudin
Lighting Design by Antony Hateley and Ash Basham
Promotional Photographs by Novel Photographic
Production Photographs by Cathy Breen
Publicity by Sassy Red PR

8 – 13 July 2025
Tues – Sat 7:30pm, Sun 5pm
Opening Night Tues 8 July 7:30pm
Tickets: $45 Full, $35 Concession and Grps 6+
Bookings: www.fortyfivedownstairs.com/event/smokescreen
Enquiries: 03 9662 9966
Venue: fortyfivedownstairs - 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
www.barewitnesstheatre.com

Duration: 90 minutes no interval
Age suitability: 15+
Warnings: References to death, addiction, smoking-related illnesses, racism and climate change. Four Herbal cigarettes are smoked across this 90 minute performance.
Accessibility: please visit www.fortyfivedownstairs.com/contact-us/access-information/ for full details