The Playgoer: News Item of the Day

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Tuesday, January 30, 2007

News Item of the Day

"When [Playwright Tricia] Walsh-Smith discovered that Smirnoff vodka had underwritten the Jan. 29 benefit reading of her play Addictions — which chronicles the effects of drug and alcohol abuse on three women — the playwright quickly canceled the performance at Los Angeles' Kirk Douglas Theatre."

Read the shocking details at Playbill.

1 comment:

Malachy Walsh said...

The vice companies sometimes sponsor events such as the one described here as part of their "public awareness" campaigns that warn of the dangers of the use/misuse of their products.

It's one way of denying their responsibility for the harm their products can cause.

"Hey, we told people drinking too much or smoking this or eating that could cause problems, so, it's not our fault. They were warned."

Of course, some common sense from the Actors' Fund could've helped here.