Minnesota's indoor-smoking law includes an exemption for actors smoking on stage, but this attempt to preserve artistic freedom is being undermined by bar owners who are using the loophole to allow smoking in their establishments.

Fox News reported March 6 that some Minnesota bars are printing up playbills and declaring their patrons "actors" so they can smoke indoors. "They're playing themselves before Oct. 1. You know, before there was a smoking ban," said Brian Bauman, owner of The Rock bar in St. Paul, one of about 30 bars to attempt the theatrical end-run around the smoking law. "We call the production, 'Before the Ban!'"

Nobody at The Rock seemed to be doing much acting, but other bars have been more creative, with staff and customers donning costumes and even doing some improv on "theater nights." The state health department, however, is panning the production and threatening to slap fines of up to $10,000 on the bars.

"The law was enacted to protect Minnesotans from the serious health effects of secondhand smoke," said Minnesota Health Commissioner Sanne Magnan. "It is time for the curtain to fall on these theatrics."

"It's too bad they didn't put as much effort into protecting their employees from smoking," added Jeanne Weigum, executive director of the Association for Nonsmokers.