We've got this statewide ban on smoking in bars and restaurants. Especially in the winter, some folks don't like having to stand outside to get their nicotine fix.
What started as a quirky idea to get around the statewide smoking ban appears to be spreading like wildfire.Of course this loophole will be closed in a heartbeat. You can't just include the entire bar as "actors" in a broad improvisational theatrical performance (especially since there's likely no audience at these "theater nights," just countless people lining up to be cigarette-toting thespians). Ultimately, I'm not sure whether to admire the creativity, or feel sorry for the addiction.
Dozens of bars are expected to stage "theater nights'' this weekend in which patrons are dubbed actors. The law, which went into effect in October, permits performers to smoke during a theatrical production. "Two weeks ago, we had one bar doing this,'' said Mark Benjamin, a criminal defense attorney who launched the theater-night idea. He estimates 50 to 100 bars could be on tap for theater nights this weekend based on phone calls, e-mails and requests for the how-to-stage-a-theater-night packet that he's devised. And many bar owners are passing on the information quickly among themselves without getting in contact with him.
Star Tribune
