University of Evansville Shanklin Theatre

Many of the plays they put on here are great, but I take issue with their smoking during productions without warning or notice to audience members. It has happened three times now that my husband and I have had to leave productions due to smoke. There are no warnings about it on their webpage, nor their flyers, nor does anyone tell you about it when you call for tickets. Quite to the contrary: their programs explicitly say that smoking is not allowed in any building on the UE campus. They are willing to let people pay for tickets, take time out of their night, pay for babysitters, and turn down alternative plans only to have to leave a production 20 minutes into it with a headache. Even though we left the play once it was apparent there would be smoking all the way through, we were told there would be no refunds or credits available. I’ve been in many theaters all over the US– New York, San Francisco, Houston, Nashville — and not a single one has had smoking on stage. If they can figure out how to keep the dramatic effect of the play without the actual smoke, why can’t Evansville? At the very least, the smoking should be advertised so that people can be in choice about whether to spend the time and money. As it stands, it seems clear that the policies are set up to hide this fact until they already have their money in hand. My husband and I have season tickets this year and will not be renewing them until this policy changes. Buyer beware — you may be walking into a smokey theater without warning if you see a play here.