What do Cigarettes represent?

Cigarettes symbolize the bond between Felix and the Fletcher Correctional Players whilst also symbolizing the power dynamic between them. Felix goes to personal risk in order to smuggle the cigarettes in to the prison to reward the cast for their hard work at the end of the production, showing that he cares about them and wishes to treat them with kindness. However, they also represent payment and bribery on behalf of Felix as he threatens to deduct points from the students’ final grade (which would result in fewer cigarettes at the end of the production) if they do not follow his rules. The obedience of the students is partially based on their regard for Felix but partially based on their desire to stay in his good books and receive rewards, mirroring Ariel’s relationship with Prospero in The Tempest.