The Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air)


The Orbiting Human Circus is a fictional radio drama podcast written and created by Julian Koster, and published by Night Vale Presents. It is the fourth podcast to be released under the Night Vale Presents name. The podcast stars Koster as Julian the janitor, a shy, sensitive employee of the Eiffel Tower who dreams of joining the fictional radio show also titled The Orbiting Human Circus of the Air, which is broadcast from a large ballroom at the top of the tower. Listeners of the podcast hear Julian the janitor's inner thoughts as he discusses his situations with The Narrator, played by Drew Callander, an imaginary voice only Julian can hear. In addition to the conversations in his head, Julian interacts with the staff and talent of The Orbiting Human Circus of the Air, notably voiced by actors such as John Cameron Mitchell, Cecil Baldwin, Tim Robbins, Charlie Day, and Mary Elizabeth Ellis. One of the most prominent themes of the podcast is the pain of loneliness.
The first season of the podcasts comprised eight episodes as well as a bonus question and answer episode in which Koster answers questions submitted by fans. From June to July 2017, the podcast released "an Orbiting Human Circus Special," titled "The 2nd Imaginary Symphony," which served as the official wide-release of Koster's 2002 album. It was announced in January 2017 that the podcast would return for a second season. The season, titled "Naughty Till New Years," premiered on November 6, 2019., and the podcast concluded with a finale on June 17, 2020.
A series of live shows were made through international tours in 2023 and 2024. This began with a US tour in fall 2023, a Japanese tour in spring 2024, and finally a tour across the US and Europe in the summer of 2024. This last tour was conducted jointly with The Music Tapes, and concluded with a final performance at Egersund Visefestival from July 4–6, 2024. Koster was accused of sexual assault later that month; the group has not toured or performed live since.
WWW orbitinghumancircus.com𝕏 OrbitingHuman

Production

The podcast was in development for several years prior to its eventual release, based on ideas Koster had been developing. Some of Koster's dialogue was recorded in his spare time during the Neutral Milk Hotel reunion tour, while Mitchell recorded much of his during his run in Hedwig and the Angry Inch on Broadway, both events having occurred over a year before the series' release. Koster cites British humor, specifically The Goon Show, as inspiration for some of the podcast's absurdism, in that jokes are delivered with little time for the audience to process the information.
To ensure authenticity, Koster employs equipment appropriate for the radio show world. All of Drew Callander's lines as the narrator are delivered through an authentic RCA Ribbon microphone from the 1930s.

Episodes

Live shows

From 2023 to 2024, the show was toured across the United States, Europe and Japan.
2023 US tour2023 US tour2023 US tour
September 14, 2023Citizen VinylAsheville, NC
September 16, 2023First Unitarian ChurchPhiladelphia, PA
September 18, 2023Le Poisson RougeNew York, NY
September 19, 2023Pie ShopWashington, DC
September 20, 2023The PinhookDurham, SC
September 21, 202340 Watt ClubAthens, GA
September 23, 2023EyedrumAtlanta, GA
2024 Japanese tour2024 Japanese tour2024 Japanese tour
March 30, 2024Ueno ParkTokyo
April 6, 2024Cafe OttoFukuoka
April 7, 2024Pub VoxhallKyoto
April 8, 2024Bar HachimonjiyaKyoto
April 13, 20247th Floor ShibuyaTokyo
2024 tour with The Music Tapes2024 tour with The Music Tapes2024 tour with The Music Tapes
June 21, 2024The Sultan RoomBrooklyn, NY
June 22, 2024Quarry House TavernWashington, DC
June 23, 2024Johnny Brenda'sPhiladelphia, PA
June 28, 2024ConcertoAmsterdam, the Netherlands
July 1, 2024TivoliVredenburgUtrecht, the Netherlands
July 4–6, 2024Egersund, Norway