Troubling Joy: A Bicycle Puppet Circus was toured by entirely by bicycle to rural and urban communities across seven counties in Nova Scotia in August and September 2001. Ian McFarlane and Laura Stinson both performed and hauled the set, which was contained in two bike trailers, as well as their camping gear for over 1000 km. The show took place outside to small audiences in parks, backyards, outdoor auditoriums and playgrounds. With the aim of bringing theatre to people and places that are generally underserved, admission was by donation with no one turned away for lack of funds.

Creators Note

It was a hot day in July. The advertised ice cream stand was closed but their veranda still offered a shaded bench so we leaned our bikes against the railing and sat, legs outstretched, and talked. We spoke of the slow pace of bike tours, the unexpected people you meet along the way and our experience of landscapes. I was reading A Promise of Happiness by Sara Ahmed and told you how it had made me reconsider expectations, to re-evaluate how I wanted to be in the world. You were pondering Spinoza. We bemoaned the time we spent in cars going from city to city as travelling puppeteers. It was 2017. Four years later that roadside conversation has twisted and turned itself into a glorious bicycle puppet show. We are thrilled to be able to share it with you today.

Artists

Ian McFarlane: Co-creator, performer, set designer

Laura Stinson: Co-creator, performer, puppet designer

GaRRy Williams: Musical composition, dramaturge

Jane Wells, Franziska Glen & Lily Falk: collaborators

Special Thanks

Jim Morrow, Mermaid Theatre, Megan Stewart, Janey Humphreys

Thank you to Arts Nova Scotia for their support in the creation of this project.