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"I personally can't bear really racist material and I'm not
going to invite a comedian that I think is doing really racist
stuff," she says matter-of-factly."Obviously there is a fine line
between clever satire and just outright racism, and I guess myself
and other producers who bring people to Australia have been doing
it for long enough to have the judgement to be able to know the
difference."
As the longest-serving director of the world's third biggest
comedy festival, behind Edinburgh and Montreal, Provan still
delights in steering the annual gagfest, which this year will
feature 232 acts and more than 1000 performers.
But she has taken
some heat during her 11 years at the helm.
Her stance on racism raised the ire of the Herald Sun's
right-wing columnist Andrew Bolt when she deliberately crossed two
American comics off the festival's invitation list in 2003 after
they made derogatory jok...
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