London, 1789. A whirlpool of filth, thievery and political unrest. Jails overflow with petty criminals, many of them women forced out of work and onto the streets as jobs are reclaimed by soldiers returning from the American war. The penal code hasn't been updated in more than a century, and crimes as trivial as pickpocketing are hanging offenses. Faced with a legal system in crisis, and a growing humanist movement opposed to executions, the courts hit upon an innovative solution: ship the woman convicts to Australia to revive the failing all-male penal colony in New South Wales.

Adapted from historical accounts, Floating Brothel follows three of these women—a down-on-her luck country girl, a thirteen-year old prostitute and a high-class con artist—on their harrowing year-long voyage from the underbelly of London to the underside of the world.

Performed by five actors on a 3 x 6 platform, the epic tale unfolds in a radically reduced space that functions as a camera lens, enabling cinematic shifts in time, scale and location. Through the course of an hour, using only their bodies and a handful of props, the ensemble creates myriad characters and locales, transforming the raw platform into the bustle of London, the din of the courtroom, the dank bilge of the ship, and the rolling expanse of the ocean.

November 27, 28 & 29th, 2009
Asia Contemporary Theatre Festival, Shanghai

November 16th, 2009
Galapagos Art Space

October 27, 2008
Galapagos Art Space

August 17, 2008
NACL Catskill Festival of New Theatre

April, 2008
The Tank, NYC

August, 2007
American Living Room Festival, HERE Arts Center

Floating Brothel and Gold No Trade are sponsored projects of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions in behalf of Floating Brothel or the Company may be made payable to Fractured Atlas and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

You can make a donation by check or by credit card. Credit card donations can be made online:

Otherwise, please make checks payable to “Fractured Atlas” and send them to:

Kevin Lapin
169 Park Place, #5
Brooklyn, NY 11238

After your donation is processed you will receive a tax receipt for your gift as well as the eternal gratitude of the entire Floating Brothel crew. Your generosity will go a long way toward bringing our work to Shanghai!