Climate Arts Festival 2024 at Queens Botanical Garden

The Climate Arts Festival returns to the Queens Botanical Garden in New York on April 27, 2024, offering a program of talks, concerts, and presentations focused on nature and environmental protection. A highlight is "A Fun Play About How Scary Climate Change Is," an ironic performance by Hong Kong-born artist, theater maker, and director Sabina Sethi Unni (b. 1986). The play follows two swamp monsters (played by Unni and Sakia Naidoo) trying to return home after being swept into New York City by a storm, aided by a stage manager, a hungry seagull, and a neurotic makeup artist. Midway, the audience is invited to share how climate change has affected their lives, as Unni believes "people who live in neighborhoods are often the experts." Unni, already engaged in eco-theater, uses humor to shift away from apocalyptic narratives toward hope and collective action, aiming to spark reactions, deepen understanding of causes, and brainstorm tangible solutions.