Jack Marsh has grown up around the circus.
When he was just 2 years old, he rode into the ring on a Clydesdale, also named Jack. After earning a bachelor’s from Harvard University and a law degree from the University of Wisconsin, Marsh worked as a corporate attorney in New York. Now 39, Marsh drives the artistic and organizational vision behind one of St. Louis’ beloved arts institutions — Circus Flora — as its artistic and executive director.
Doing both jobs is a juggling act he enjoys and does well. “It’s going great. I love all things Circus Flora,” Marsh said. “It's something that takes up the whole of the brain — figuring out how to make a circus and sell it to a modern audience.”
Marsh also cherishes the opportunity to work with his mother, Cecil MacKinnon. MacKinnon is Circus Flora’s longtime narrator, Yo-Yo the Storyteller.
“I feel really lucky to be seeing Jack take over,” she said, noting how gratifying it is to experience “starting to be guided by [Jack’s] own artistic choices in terms of acts and knowledge of the breadth of our industry.”
Circus Flora’s 38th season gets underway tonight with a peanut-free preview. The opening performance is Saturday, and the season runs through June 23. The original production, “Marooned!” will feature a cast of circus performers stranded on a desert island.
“It's a magical island on which two pirates find themselves marooned. They're both in search of treasure and they encounter all sorts of amazing, weird, wacky people, animals and so forth on their way to getting this treasure,” Marsh said.
Among the daring acts is Carlos Morales, a Peruvian performer, who performs in a contraption called the Wheel of Death. “It’s as scary as it sounds, but he’ll be fine,” Marsh said. “It’s this giant apparatus that comes into the circus floor ring and gets hoisted up … it’s sort of like a Ferris wheel with a hamster wheel on the end of it where he’s spinning around and running around inside of it.”
The performance also features aerialists who hang from each other’s teeth and a man who flies through the air as galloping horses circle the ring.
Circus Harmony’s St. Louis Arches and the Flying Wallendas on the high wire — two Circus Flora mainstays — also make a return appearance.
To hear more about Circus Flora’s 38th season listen to St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or click the play button below.
Related Event
What: Circus Flora’s “Marooned!”
When: Through June 23
Where: The Big Top in Grand Center, 3401 Washington Ave., St. Louis, MO 63103
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Ulaa Kuziez, Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Roshae Hemmings is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
