Flotsam River Circus is a troupe of musicians, puppeteers, and circus artists who travel on a ramshackle raft, giving free performances in riverfront towns along the way. The Ohio River Tour will kick off on all three of Pittsburgh’s rivers August 16-18, 2024.

Following their triumphant Mississippi River Tour last summer, which captivated audiences from St. Louis to St. Paul, Flotsam is setting sail on the Ohio River, bringing their unique brand of river raft theatrics to Pittsburgh and beyond. Over the course of their journey, they will entertain and inspire communities in dozens of riverfront towns, from Pittsburgh to Paducah, visiting 29 cities for 38 performances from August 16-September 29, 2024.

Inspired by the American showboat tradition and recent floating art projects, Flotsam is captained by accordion troubadour Jason Webley. 

The Ohio River is an ambitious undertaking for the Flotsam Troupe, and a beautiful waterway to utilize as a backdrop to the mobile and floating set and stage. Described by Thomas Jefferson as “the most beautiful river on earth” in his Notes on the State of Virginia, the tour promises to be a tremendous backdrop for a bit of circus debauchery. 

The show is set in a post-apocalyptic world where climate change has raised temperatures and water levels leading to a takeover by invasive mutant fish.  The loose story is told through acrobatics, mime, illusions, music, and puppetry.

About the troupe:

SARI BREZNAU is a music director, stage-craftsperson, and multi-instrumentalist known for her work with Future Fridays, Beats Antique, Cafe Nordo, Moonshine Revival Tent, Cherdonna, and the Singing in the Rain Family Choir. She was a long-time member of Seattle’s beloved performance collective, Circus Contraption and trumpeter/percussionist in the Balkan brass ensemble, Orkestar Zirkonium. She is currently music director of the UP UP UP Crane Truck Circus.

FERDUSOL uses tools of physical theater, neoclassical pantomime, and contemporary dance to shape his distinctive clowning style. Born in the Sonoran dessert, Ferdusol honed his craft by entertaining commuters waiting at intersections and border crossings in Tijuana. He graduated from Sonora State University with a degree in Performing Arts and continued his studies at the Estudio Búsqueda de Pantomima Teatro in Guanajuato, MX and the Flying Actor Studio Conservatory in Ashland, OR. He has performed and given masterclass workshops on pantomime throughout Mexico and the United States.
Ferdusol on Instagram

TANYA GAGNE, pioneer, icon and innovator of punk rock circus and cabaret has been making genre-straddling work and performances in New York City and around the world for over 20 years. She is a choreographer, aerialist, teacher, dancer, writer, storyteller, MC and comedian. Her neo-vaudevillian collaboration with Adrienne Truscott, The Wau Wau Sisters, began in NYC in 1999 and has enjoyed an Off-Broadway run, sold out season at the Sydney Opera House, and four seasons at the Edinburgh International Fringe Festival. Gagné is the founder and director of the Trapeze Loft and Big Sky Works in Brooklyn, NY. She is a long-time veteran of Circus Amok, the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, La Clique, La Soirée, Briefs Factory, and worked for three years on tall ships, sailing half way around the world.
www.tanyagagne.com

MIRIAM OOMMEN is a queer Malayali-American fiddler, banjoist and rhythm bones player from Eugene, Oregon. Raised on American folk songs, she detoured into hardcore punk before founding raw old time string band Foraging and the Rattling Bones. Miriam also books DIY shows, teaches fiddle and banjo, and co-hosts a weekly old time jam in Eugene with fiddler Melissa Takush.
www.foragingband.com

MATTHEW “POKI” MCCORKLE creates mesmerizing and surreal spectacle with balance, mime, magic, sleight of hand, comedy, elegance and an eccentric persona. Poki’s award winning solo acts have been presented in Vienna, Nürnberg, and Berlin, and they have performed in Dubai with Cirque Éloize, one of Canada’s leading contemporary circus companies. Poki also directs, creates, and plays-in devised ensemble work for theatre and festivals. Recent projects include the award-winning surrealist physical comedies, Falling Awake, and Hotel Vortruba, and the UP UP UP Crane Truck Circus Show. Poki is a proud supporter of Clowns Without Borders, an organization which offers laughter to relieve the suffering persons living in areas of crisis.
www.mattpoki.com

SADYE OSTERLOH has been performing, dancing dorkily and being a giant ham since the moment she was born. She has been practicing movement and circus arts for the past fifteen years, currently in Bellingham and previously in Asheville, NC as former director of The Toy Boat Circus School. Sadye has studied at the Circus Center in San Francisco and in Ft. Lauderdale with the world-renowned Eugene Baranok, and is a co-founder of the UP UP UP Crane Truck Circus Show. Whether performing with Bellingham Circus Guild or singing three-part harmonies with The Hot House Jazz Band, Sadye has a passion for sparking joy and laughter through partner acrobatics, trapeze and physical comedy. She delights in combining the ridiculous with feats of strength and skill.
www.dorkydancefitness.com

KALAN SHERRARD is a slime mold who lives in a (w)hole in the ground with dozens of feral pups. As a street physicist, xE has toured post-philosophical puppet shows and Not-Happenings across Europe and the Americas. A student of Comparative Literature and Misunderstandings, xE also periodically lectures on Ontological Nihilist Cosmogony, granting PhDs to passersby. New York Magazine decribes xErr as “NYC’s Most Avant-Garde Nihilist Subway Performer”.
www.enormousface.com

JASON WEBLEY is a troubadour based in Everett, WA. Beginning as a street performer in the late 90s, Webley has built an international cult following with his songs and stories. Armed with an accordion, a guitar, a porkpie hat and a plastic vodka bottle full of pennies, he has performed in over forty countries and released a pile of records. He is known for his work with the Welcome to Night Vale podcast and his long-time collaborator, Amanda Palmer. He grew up fantasizing about floating down rivers on rafts, and is a two-time winner of the “Boat Most Likely to Kill Pilot” award at the Camp Tipsy Rotten Boat Building Contest.
www.jasonwebley.com

2024 OHIO RIVER TOUR:
Unless otherwise noted, perfomances are at 6 pm.

Aug 16 – PITTSBURGH, PA – Point State Park
Aug 17 – PITTSBURGH, PA – South Shore Riverfront Park
Aug 18 – PITTSBURGH, PA – North Shore Riverfront Park
Aug 19 – MONACA, PA – Monaca Riverfront Park
Aug 20 – EAST LIVERPOOL, OH – Broadway Wharf
Aug 21 – STEUBENVILLE, OH – Steubenville Marina
Aug 22 – WHEELING, WV – Heritage Port
Aug 23 – NEW MARTINSVILLE, WV – Washington St Boat Ramp
Aug 24 – MARIETTA, OH – Marietta Levee
Aug 25 – PARKERSBURG, WV – Point Park
Aug 27 – RAVENSWOOD, WV – Washington’s Riverfront Park
Aug 28 – POMEROY, OH – Pomeroy Levee
Aug 29 – POINT PLEASANT, WV – Riverfront Park
Aug 30 – HUNTINGTON, WV – Harris Riverfront Park
Aug 31 – HUNTINGTON, WV – Harris Riverfront Park
Sept 1 – IRONTON, OH – Ironton Boat Ramp
Sept 2 – PORTSMOUTH, OH – Court Street Landing
Sept 4 – MAYSVILLE, KY – Limestone Landing Park
Sept 5 – NEW RICHMOND, OH – Haussermann Park
Sept 6 – CINCINNATI, OH – Sawyer Point Park
Sept 7 – CINCINNATI, OH – Sawyer Point Park
Sept 8 – CINCINNATI, OH – Sawyer Point Park
Sept 10 – RISING SUN, IN – Riverfront Levee
Sept 11 – VEVAY, IN – Paul Ogle Riverfront Park
Sept 12 – MADISON IN – Madison Boat Ramp
Sept 13 – LOUISVILLE, KY – Waterfront Park
Sept 14 – LOUISVILLE, KY – Waterfront Park
Sept 15 – LOUISVILLE, KY – Waterfront Park
Sept 16 – WEST POINT, KY – West Point River Park
Sept 17 – BRANDENBURG, KY – River Front Park
Sept 19 – TELL CITY, IN – Sunset Park (5:30 pm)
Sept 20 – OWENSBORO, KY – English Park (5:30 pm)
Sept 21 – EVANSVILLE, IN – Dress Plaza (5 pm)
Sept 22 – EVANSVILLE, IN – Dress Plaza (5 pm)
Sept 23 – HENDERSON, KY – Henderson River Front (5:30 pm)
Sept 27 – GOLCONDA, IL – Rumsey Picnic Shelter (5:30 pm)
Sept 28 – PADUCAH, KY – Raymond C Schultz Park (5 pm)
Sept 29 – PADUCAH, KY – Raymond C Schultz Park (5 pm)

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