News

Biting the hand that funds you

A controversial play about eco-terrorism and climate change is set to reignite debate at this year’s You Are Here festival.

1 Apr 2016 12:00

Richard Watts

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Writing and Publishing

Publicity image for Kill Climate Deniers. Photo by Sarah Walker.

In late 2014, Canberra’s Aspen Island Theatre Company received $18,793 from Arts ACT for the creative development of David Finnigan’s provocatively-titled play, Kill Climate Deniers.

The backlash which followed – including complaints by conservative columnist Andrew Bolt and the ACT’s Shadow Arts Minister Brendan Smyth – resulted in a short-lived scandal which was soon forgotten by most of the arts community.

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Richard Watts

Richard Watts OAM is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, a Melbourne Fringe Festival Living Legend, and was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize in 2020. In 2021 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Green Room Awards Association. Most recently, Richard received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in June 2024. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts