Creating Naturalistic Smoking Scenes in Sunrise for the Blind
When The Sunrise Collective presented Sunrise for the Blind at The Cockpit in London as part of Camden Fringe in August 2026, Stage Props theatrical cigarettes were among the props used to bring its characters' world to the stage.
Written by Lee Lomas and directed by Andrew Darren Elkins, the play explores lives shaped by community, conflict and limited opportunities in North Manchester.
For a production rooted in naturalism, the details of everyday behaviour matter. A character's posture, a pause in conversation or the handling of a familiar object can help make a fictional life feel recognisable.
Smoking can be one of those details.
Stage Props provided a way to portray that behaviour without burning tobacco or herbs on stage.
A community under pressure
Sunrise for the Blind follows young people and families whose lives intersect in a North Manchester town centre. Relationships, gossip and prejudice feed a growing conflict, against a background of poverty and frustrated ambitions.
The Sunrise Collective brought the play to The Cockpit for Camden Fringe on 27–28 August 2026, with Andrew Darren Elkins directing and Hülya Corty producing.
The setting gives the production a recognisable social world. Its characters share public spaces, encounter one another repeatedly and live with the consequences of what happens between them.
Within that world, an everyday object can contribute to the audience's sense that these people have lives beyond the scene.
Small details in a stripped-back production
In a pre-production interview with Read About Stuff, Andrew described an intentionally spare staging approach, keeping attention on the performers and their relationships rather than elaborate scenery.
That approach makes the choice and handling of props particularly interesting.
In naturalistic theatre, a prop needs to belong to the character's behaviour. It should be something the performer can handle as part of the action, rather than an object that interrupts it.
A cigarette can occupy the hands during a conversation, accompany a pause or form part of a familiar routine. Its dramatic meaning depends on the scene and the performer, but the practical requirement remains the same: it needs to work convincingly within the performance.
The director's experience
After the production, Andrew shared photographs with Stage Props and described his experience:
"It was fantastic to use your products in my last show 'Sunrise for the Blind'."
— Andrew Darren Elkins, director
It is a brief response, but one we were delighted to receive.
For us, hearing from the people who use the props is an important part of understanding how the system fits into different working environments — from musical theatre and opera to intimate, naturalistic drama.
Each production has its own visual language. The prop's job is to support it.
Portraying smoking without combustion
Stage Props theatrical cigarettes combine a rechargeable battery with replaceable filters to create a visible, smoke-like vapour effect.
The system contains no tobacco or nicotine. There is no combustion, ash or open flame, and the filters contain PG and VG without added flavourings.
Performers can create the visible effect with a controlled draw into the mouth and exhalation; inhalation into the lungs is not required.
For productions depicting smoking, this offers a practical alternative to combustible cigarettes while retaining a cigarette-style prop that can be handled as part of a scene.
As the system produces an aerosol, productions should still consider performer comfort, ventilation and the venue's policies when planning its use.
Supporting the story
A theatrical prop does not have to be the focus of a scene to make a contribution.
Often, its value lies in how readily it becomes part of the performance: an object the character appears to know, handled without explanation.
That is the role Stage Props is designed to fulfil.
We are pleased that our theatrical cigarette system could contribute to The Sunrise Collective's Sunrise for the Blind, and grateful to Andrew Darren Elkins for sharing his experience and photography.
Stage Props in theatre and live performance
Stage Props supplies professional theatrical cigarette props for theatre, opera, film, television and live productions internationally.
If your production requires realistic smoking scenes, you can explore our professional stage cigarette prop system here.
To learn more about this production, visit the Sunrise for the Blind page at Camden Fringe.
Photography credit:
Photography: Andrew Darren Elkins
Production credits:
Production: Sunrise for the Blind
Company: The Sunrise Collective
Writer: Lee Lomas
Director: Andrew Darren Elkins
Producer: Hülya Corty
Venue: The Cockpit, London
Festival: Camden Fringe
Performance dates: 27–28 August 2026
