If there is one thing that can rival the romance and allure of the traveling tented circus, it just may be the mystique and poetry of a traveling river circus. Flotsam River Circus is a non-profit troupe of world-class musicians, circus performers, and puppeteers who float their "ramshackle raft" stage along open waterways, giving free performances to the communities they travel through. They capture the imagination with their performances and way of life, bring people together to engage through art and the environment, and are gone with the tide (so to speak) to do it all again in the next town downstream.
Flotsam is the passion of Jason Webley. While not a mariner by training, Webley says that he has been drawn to waterways since boyhood. Touring the world as a musician, he found himself drawn to the water in the places he visited. Waterways are the veins of civilization—from giving life through water and fertile land, to commerce and trade, to shaping and carving the land itself. Having lived on a houseboat for years and being immersed in an art scene where eccentric art boats were common, Webley gathered creative friends and collaborators to create a traveling river show that ended up being, among other things, a circus.
Flotsam weaves a story through music, puppetry, physical theater, and circus artistry. It is a somewhat absurdist ecological tale with a touch of post-apocalyptic reality. The show is not glossy; there is no artifice whatsoever. It might even be a bit clumsy at times—maybe the stage is rocking in the wake of a passing boat and the performers stumble a few steps—but it is all exposed and happening right in front of you. There is something extraordinarily real and compelling in seeing top-tier artists perform world-class feats on a raft rocking just off the shore.
Since 2019, Flotsam has covered nearly 3,000 miles of river, performing in 15 different states. Each year, the show travels a new waterway and hosts as many free performances as possible. The river determines the tour route (obviously), but also the pace of the tour and the nature of the audience. While some people do travel from afar to see the show, the audience is primarily the local community. Advertising is mainly word-of-mouth and travels downstream with the raft. Webley is still astounded by how word spreads and audiences turn up for the shows—sometimes thousands of people. And while the audience generally stays upriver when the show moves on, the continuity of the waterway as a physical and poetic connection from town to town creates one long story, with each community and performance serving as a new chapter.
This year, Flotsam will travel up the Illinois River from St. Louis to Chicago in August and September. More information and tour dates can be found at rivercircus.com.
