David Finnigan: Making Theatre, Improving Creativity, Learning From Failure, Art In A Time Of Climate

Ben Yeoh Chats

David Finnigan is an award winning theatre maker, writer and games creator from Ngunnawal country, Australia. David produces performances and writing that explores concepts from Game Theory, Complex Systems science, Network Theory and Resilience. He has also had the dubious honour of performing on stage with me, in our performance lecture collaboration, Thinking Bigly. He has a show coming up at The Barbican, London, 27 September, 2022: You’re Safe Til 2024: Deep History.

We discuss how all art might be considered climate art. Thus we should consider jobs as jobs, why put green there? or health is health. This can take some of the heat out of the language.

Even in the great depression, we sort of look back now. There's a tradition of screwball comedies in the great depression. Now, we look back at them and they had nothing to do with the kind of political issues and economic issues at the time. But we look back at them now and say, "Oh, they were deliberately escapist from those conditions of the time." So whatever you kind of create now it's very hard to not find a way to read it. That is a climate reading. And when something becomes all encompassing like that, it's almost such a broad term that it ceases to be useful to use it. I'm thinking now of your comment the other day where you said, "When we talk about climate health or we talk about climate justice, that's just health and that's just justice." At what point is it relevant to use the word climate and at what point is it unnecessary? Because climate's everything. Climate's everywhere. So it becomes a bit too vague.

We chat about the process of creativity in particular in performing arts. The importance of David finding a community in his home town and the constant making of work at the start of his artistic journey.

David discusses what he learned from scientists and his father. How this has integrated into his art.

We debate on what is most misunderstood about Australia and London.

I ask David what he learned from injured possums. David talks about London foxes and Underground mosquitoes.

How theatre is narrow but deep. How theatre is bad for being able to pay rent. What David learnt from theatre in the Philippines.

What we learn from failure. How we practice creativity and how we improve. David’s work in music and spoken word.

We end on David’s current projects including his one man climate show coming up at the Barbican.

David gives his advice to creatives.

“Don't ask for career advice, don't ask for professional advice. Ask people their story.”

Transcript and Video available here.