Stage cigarettes in Den blinde passager at Aalborg Teater

Stage Props helps create convincing smoking scenes in Maria Lazar's historical drama

In Aalborg Teater's production of Den blinde passager, stage cigarettes from Stage Props form a natural part of the play's historical setting. The products make it possible to create a clear and realistic smoking effect on stage without tobacco, nicotine, combustion, ash or an open flame.

A moral dilemma aboard a Danish cargo ship

The story takes place in 1938 aboard a Danish cargo ship anchored in a German port. Hitler has been in power for five years, and the persecution of Jews has become part of everyday life. The Jewish doctor Fritz Hartmann has hidden in the ship's hold after secretly coming aboard in the hope of reaching safety in Denmark.

When he is discovered, the captain and the other people on board are forced to make a choice. Should they obey the law and hand him over to the authorities, or help a person fleeing persecution? The stranger on board exposes disagreements, strained relationships and differing views of personal responsibility, turning the journey home into a drama about courage, obedience and indifference.

A rediscovered work by Maria Lazar

The Austrian Jewish writer Maria Lazar wrote the play in 1938 while living in exile in Denmark, after fleeing Austria in 1933. It was not staged at the time and remained unpublished for decades. When her work was rediscovered, it became clear how directly the drama speaks to present-day debates about displacement, borders and personal responsibility.

Aalborg Teater brings the story close to the audience in an intimate production directed by Ina-Miriam Rosenbaum. Signe Krogh's set, designed as a cross-section of the ship, creates a confined world in which the people on board cannot escape the consequences of their choices.

A visible smoking effect without tobacco

Smoking belongs to the period portrayed and helps establish both the characters and the environment. In the production, Stage Props' reusable stage cigarettes create the visible effect the audience expects, without tobacco or nicotine. There is no combustion, ash, glowing tip or open flame.

Because the system is designed for professional stage use, the effect can be repeated from rehearsal to performance. This gives the actors and the production team practical control over the scenes while preserving the visual expression required by the production.

Cast and creative team

The production is directed by Ina-Miriam Rosenbaum, with set design by Signe Krogh, lighting design by Julius Dyhr Hansen and sound design by Mads Stagis.

The cast consists of: 
Adam Schmidt
Anna Bruus Christensen
Patrick A. Hansen
William Halken
Jørgen W. Larsen
Kathrine Høj Andersen.

The photograph shows Patrick A. Hansen and Adam Schmidt. Adam Schmidt uses a Stage Props stage cigarette as part of the performance. Photo: Rumle Skafte

Read more about Aalborg Teater on their website.