about us

WHAT'S FLOTSAM & JETSAM?

Flotsam is the bits and bobs drifting on the sea or washed up on the beach - a bit of gunnel, a jellyfish blob. Jetsam is the stuff jettisoned from ships - like Tunnock's Tea Cake wrappers. Or the ship's cook.

Flotsam & Jetsam is also a puppet theatre company in Scotland. Ailie and Scott are the company's partners and have been drifting back and forth across the Atlantic with bits of puppets (like the box marked "eyeballs") since 1995.

AILIE FINLAY

Ailie grew up in the Borders and trained in puppetry at the London School of Puppetry in 1993. She studied storytelling with Scottish storyteller Janis Mackay and since then she has been performing for schools, nurseries, theatres and festivals in Scotland and Canada. She performs regularly for The Scottish Storytelling Centre, The Scottish Puppet and Animation Festival and the Scottish Mask and Puppet Centre. She has a BA in Philosophy. Ailie is accredited by the Scottish Storyteller's Association.

SCOTT SIMPSON

Scott grew up in Vancouver and graduated from art college in 1990. He worked as an illustrator and art director for several years in Vancouver and Los Angeles. He has trained in clowning and puppetry in Manipulate Festivals as well as with Akhe and puppeteer Martin Bridle plus Forum Theatre training with Julian Boal. He has a BA in Eng. Lit. and a post-graduate qualification in Community Education. For six years he worked in community development and social research - much of this involved consulting in schools across Scotland in the fields of wellbeing and sexual health and relationships on behalf of the NHS.