Cirrus@Austlit

'Life, love, and making money, as things heat up.

'“We knew there was a mass extinction happening, we all felt bad about it. But you couldn’t think about it every second of every day. I had a bad breakup that year, I was trying to pay rent. We were just living our lives.”

'A frog, the last of its species, starts calling for a mate, but there’s no-one to hear.

'A group of friends reminisce about the last time they took a flight, before all that came to an end.

'Landholders in Borneo confront western environmentalists over who owns the forest.

'A scientist is coached on how to speak to the media in digestible soundbites.

'A family takes to the water, needing a new home, new hope…

'A remarkable, illuminating, shocking, wry, and sometimes inspiring piece of theatre, Scenes from the Climate Era is exactly what it says – over fifty small plays that catch the exhilaration, frustration and fascination of living in interesting times.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Girl meets boy.
'Girl Hates boy.
'Girl f***s boy 44 times.
'The world collapses.

'Watch 5 of your favourite Belvoir clowns go down on their microphones and some random fruit in a theatrically dextrous response to humanity’s decision to hit the accelerator, turn off the headlights and surge into the dark wilds of the 21^st century.'

Source: Belvoir Theatre.

'The biggest popstar of the Philippines has been kidnapped, and it’s up to a ragtag squad of fans to bring her back. They’ll brave rooftop chases, mystic rituals, knife fights in the back of speeding jeepneys and underwater shoot-outs to liberate their idol from a conspiracy that threatens to tear their country apart.

'Over one explosive night this vigilante crew of pop obsessives, misfits and outsiders race the streets of Manila, careening between street beauty pageants, political protests, underground hip-hop battles and senator’s homes.

'And then there’s the music: this blistering action epic is set to 40 years of Filipino pop, vaulting from 1970s peace anthems to contemporary Filipino hip-hop, from viral YouTube techno to iconic Pinoy power ballads. The fast and the fabulous face off in the dizzying thrill-ride that results.

'A neon-drenched action adventure set in a nation on the brink, Are You Ready To Take the Law Into Your Own Hands has zero political relevance to current events. None. At all.'

Source: Arts House.

'“Because revolution is better at night.”

'What would it actually take to stop climate change dead in its tracks? Guns? Revolution? A pumping soundtrack?

'Kill Climate Deniers centres on a militant cell of eco-activists that takes the audience hostage during a concert at Parliament House. Led by charismatic spokeswoman Catch, they demand Australia immediately cease all carbon emissions and coal exports—or they’ll start executing their 1,700 hostages.

'But they’re not the only ones to take the title literally. Between scenes of bloody action and banging ’90s tunes, writer David Finnigan discusses the outrage the play’s title provoked from Andrew Bolt and his cabal of conservative bloggers. The original production was shut down in the ensuing shitstorm, leading Finnigan to eventually fold the scandal into the play.'

Source: Theatre's blurb.

'Antidotes only exist out of necessity, given against something already present, already acting upon the body. Without the danger that calls them into action, they may hold no value for us—but when we need them, we need them desperately. This one-off series is designed to have antidotal properties, by collecting and dispatching a sustained chord of lighthearted positivity, written against a cultural moment that overwhelms and frightens and covfefes us daily. ‘A light when all lights are out’, ‘a welcome reprieve’, a cute story that plays at the end of the news telecast featuring the baby elephant at the zoo: these are some of the ways we describe such instances where the pressures upon us are alleviated, when we can avoid thinking about the gloomier realities of this life. But we wondered, what other kind of meaningful comforts might be possible? A writer friend recently spoke about the need to capture moments of levity—especially when working with subject matter that might be brutal or traumatic—moments that, however small, offer respite and a provisional hope.' (Introduction)

David Finnigan discusses the complex development of his play Kill Climate Deniers and the attacks on the play by some parts of the media.

'A hormone-ridden scramble through the thorny maze of teenage party politics, in a search to find the glamorous side of being young and messed up. One performer takes on the role of five teenagers and narrates their journeys through a single night.'

Source: 'Winners of Street Theatre Commissions', ArtsHub website www.artshub.com.au (sighted 09/03/2010)