Good Morning,

I am directing The Nerd with a teenage cast for our summer youth selection.  I'm having a problem with the scene where Rick blows smoke from a cigarette through the hole in the "chimney".  None of our youth smoke and I don't want to use fake cigs either.  Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

N2D

we just did this show last summer with out the cigarettes, I played Axel....  the drunk smoker....lol

I don't have an answer for you as I have never done the show so do not know how critical the smoke is, but I feel an obligation to warn against the previous two responses.  It is illegal and against your performance contract to "eliminate the lines" or to "just eliminated the smoking and references to it".  If you wish to make ANY change to a script you must acquire written permission from the publishing company and often the playwright themselves.  Some will be accepted with no problem, but you cannot depend on this.  Some playwrights (Neil Simon) have been know t shut down high school productions days before opening because they high schools eliminated curse words.  Do not take this lightly, the play is a copy wright protected work, and you cannot make changes to it. 
I also have to state that I for one fully back these laws, the playwright worked hard to craft the script in just the way they wanted, they and their art should be respected as highly as any.