Butch Mermaid

Butch Mermaid is a physical theater and clown company. We believe that joy has the capacity to change lives and create a more just and equitable world.

Current project:

In July 2026, we launched an international collaboration with Clown Compass in Sri Lanka.  Led by Butch Mermaid artistic director Ania Upstill and Clown Compass co-founder Veenadari Jayapordy, we are bringing together Sri Lankan and international artists for an intensive week of training in clowning, physical theatre, ensemble creation, and embodied storytelling. Following the workshop, we will create and tour a show, Trash World, an exciting, family-friendly physical theatre show touring around Sri Lanka. In Trash World, we explore sustainability through the lens of creativity, possibility, and solutions. A lot of the messaging around climate change and sustainability can feel negative or depressing, and sometimes that makes people feel disconnected from the issue. We believe that clowning brings curiosity and lightness to difficult conversations. 

Overall, the program creates an exciting space for cultural exchange, artistic collaboration, and shared learning.

About Clown Compass:

Clown Compass is Sri Lanka's pioneering professional clowning and physical theatre company. Their specialty is telling stories through the body. They create narrative-based clown theatre, where movement, physical expression, and human connection communicate stories that often go beyond words.

Selected Past projects:

Antonio! 

A queer Shakepearean musical, Antonio! asks what if The Bard wasn’t just reusing a character name, but was instead inspired by one hopelessly romantic pirate looking for love in all the wrong places? 

Gender euphoric musical chaos. Developed over dinner parties with the trans and gender diverse community in Aotearoa New Zealand, Too Much Hair is a cabaret of original songs and stories about gender euphoria and the joys of living as your authentic self. The show also includes a series of music videos, many featuring members of the community who shared their stories during the development process. (BATS Theater 2022, Dixon Place NYC 2023, Edinburgh Fringe 2023)

One clown’s surreal journey across the landscape of gender as they playful explore what it means to be a trans human. (Austin 2019, NZ Fringe 2020, Adelaide Fringe 2020, Edinburgh Fringe 2022, Dixon Place, Queerly Festival, Clown Gym, 2023, Philly Fringe 2023)