Review: All Smoke, No Script
Picture (L to R): Ruby Gleeson, Ben Spalding, and Andrew Oxford. Image credit: Creative Futures Photography
The Anywhere Festival Paint Factory Hub is a fabulous space, full of lots of nooks and crannies that can be magically transformed into stages for talented local creatives to be able to bring passion projects to the factory setting. A great opportunity to connect with new audiences, to test out new works, to build a profile, and to entertain—all while ensuring that the creators and artists can maximise any proceeds to invest in future work.
All Smoke, No Script is a long-form improv noir comedy piece of theatre, presented, starring, and co-created by Ben Spalding and Andrew Oxford. They are a great team, bringing their complementary skills in improvised/devised theatre, sound design, and composition to the work. And an excellent idea to draw in the support of fellow cast and creatives, Ruby Gleeson (performer/ghost/extras), Remi Thiesfield (stage manager) and Riley Montesin (lighting designer and programmer).
As the audience walks past the warning tape and into the darkened space, it’s clear that murder is afoot. Fortunately, we are seated in a semicircle around what we soon discover is the murder scene. Exactly where the murder takes place, and how the different props are used during the show, depends on the advice of the onlookers. Which means that, if you do get the chance to see this closing weekend show, be ready to answer a few prompts from Ruby, who gives a very entertaining introduction to the show, before reappearing in the guise of several additional characters.
For the Friday night premiere, our investigating detectives (Ben and Andrew) kept the show on the road as they investigated the murder of our improbably named corpse (one of Ruby’s many roles). In the best tradition of any noir comedy, the team works through several different scenes before finally bringing the criminal to justice—where the quirky back-stories for each of the detectives add to the fun.
Picture: Ruby Gleeson. Credit: Creative Futures Photography.
Picture: Ben Spalding (Image credit: Creative Futures Photography).
Picture: Andrew Oxford. Credit: Creative Futures Photography.
Picture: All Smoke, No Script. Image credit: Creative Futures Photography.
All Smoke, No Script is a great idea, and I do like the long-form improv format. I enjoyed the show, but felt there were a few points where the pace needed to be lifted. For future development, a little more of the audience interaction throughout the show might help maintain the pace—possibly by inviting more ideas as to where the story might travel, or what the characters might do next. As the team has an Improv Queensland connection, it might also be an idea to invite a rolling selection of experienced guest performers to step in with a short cameo if the show slows at any point—along the lines of ‘Thank God You’re Here,’ or as a version of the ‘amp it up’ bell used in the more chaotic and fun improvised romantasy, How to Seduce Your Dragon.
If you want to have ‘I saw it at the 2026 Festival’ bragging rights, you need to be quick as these detectives are leaving the factory tomorrow. Just be ready with those suggestions.
Picture: Watching the Detectives. Image Credit: Creative Futures Photography
Audience information: 2026 Anywhere Festival Brisbane season return of All Smoke, No Script is at The Paint Factory Festival Hub, 115 Hyde Road, Yeronga, (22-24 May 2026). Tickets $20. Warnings include the possibility of coarse or crude language (suggest 10+). 60 minutes. Always wise to ‘bring a jacket, it might get chilly.’
The reviewer attended the 22 May 2026 opening night.