'Smoking' offers many angles for LSU class

• By ROBIN MILLER
• Arts writer
• Published: Jul 13, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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“Totally HOT and still Knockin’ ’em DEAD,” the subtitle screams.

Sounds pretty cool, doesn’t it? And it is to some degree.

Because there’s a certain rebellion, something almost sexy in the idea of smoking, especially for college kids. They’re the ones singled out here, because they’re the ones creating this theatrical work based on a nasty habit banned in so many public places throughout the country.

But is the nasty habit always considered, well, nasty? Remember the movie stars in all of those old black and white films from way back when? They smoked. And they all looked pretty good doing it, too.

Never mind that some would succumb to smoking-related diseases later. It was the moment that counted.

Then again, tragedy does play into it, too, because every person lost leaves behind someone who loves him or her. Most times, many someones.

“Which is why I chose the topic of smoking for this project,” George Judy said. “It’s the fascination with how we reach for this thing that we know is damaging because it satisfies the immediate. Even now, given all the ideas, health risks and costs, smoking is still a very strong choice for lots of people. And young people.”

Which provides lot of angles to view this topic.

“They have so many creative ideas, and the only problem I’ve had is getting them to commit their ideas to paper,” Judy said. “No one wants to put their ideas on paper until they’re perfectly formed. But our time is limited.”

The limitation comes in time allotted for this class. Judy is a professor in the LSU Department of Theatre. The class is a month-long summer study, where students come together and create a production from the ground up.

Sixteen students are involved in this project, most of them theatre majors.

“We have a couple of students who aren’t theatre majors, but they’ve been involved with productions in the theatre department, so most are fairly advanced, and they’re all ready for the challenge.”

In the end, everyone will, in some way, be involved in bringing this production to life. Some will work on the writing, others will work behind the scenes in staging it and, of course, some will act.