Jacques ze Whipper: Taking a Crack at It
If you’ve been on any form of renaissance festival social media since 2020, you know his name. This willowy whip cracker with an inky curled handlebar mustache has taken over your feed, singing everything from Sweet Caroline (please stop requesting that one), to K-Pop Demon Hunters as his whip snaps the beat.
His talents go far beyond his musical skills, his performances showing a well-honed display of skills that belies what you see. Just a man with a whip and a winning smile. Jaques has touched hearts across the country with appearances on America’s Got Talent, The Twenty-Sided Tavern, multiple ren faire venues, conventions, resorts, comedy clubs and more. It comes as no surprise given that he is a legacy performer.
Jack’s father is the gentleman with the mustache and, you guessed it, the whip.
His father, John Lepiarz, was a veteran Rennie from Rogue, Oaf and Fool at the Texas Renaissance Festival was a man of diversified ability, expanding his career into a variety act for the Big Apple Circus from 1987 to 1994. He brought laughter to the crowds with his zany clown antics as Mr. Fish, staging many entrees like 1001 Nights At The Big Apple Circus (1987) and Grandma Goes West (1989) along with fellow clowns Michael Christensen, David Casey, Jeff Gordon, David Casey, and Barry Lubin.
Coming from such a unique environment is sure to have a profound impact on young Jack-Not-Yet-Jacques. One I’m sure many Rennie brats find familiar. It’s no wonder he felt a call to the stage, and since we are lucky enough to have him at the Ohio Renaissance Festival for the 2026 season, I had to get an interview with him!
Interview with Jacques ze Whipper
In your stage show, you talked about how your father taught you whip skills and introduced you to the performing arts. So as a legacy performer, do you think there’s a benefit to being born into it or do you think the expectations are set higher?
Oh, it’s definitely easier when you’re a nepo-baby. The funny thing is that I have very little *formal* performance training. The skills that I’ve developed are ones that have been improved by osmosis (a lifetime of watching world-class performers), and by getting thousands of reps at a young age. Having that institutional knowledge gives you a leg up on your peers that’s hard to quantify.
At the same time, though, being born into the life can make it harder for you to find your own identity and style. It took me a long time to move beyond old routines of my father’s and develop a style of speaking and performing that was my own.
What was it like traveling with the Big Apple Circus at such a young age? Was it at all similar to being a Rennie or is there a different subculture within the circus Showman ring?
My earliest memories are of playing with the other kids on the Big Apple Circus lot. And those memories are some of my happiest. The circus culture’s very similar to Renaissance Faires — you have a small, close-knit community where everyone knows everyone else — only even more extreme. At BAC, the entire company traveled from stop to stop. So whereas in Renaissance Faires, I might see some of the same people at some of the shows I work, in the circus, you see ALL of the same people at EVERY stop.
You mentioned at one point that there was some difficulty among your peers when you were a kid. People didn’t exactly warm up to the circus kid back then. Do you think that’s changed at all? Do you think people have become more open or interested in this somewhat eccentric life?
I think we’ve just gotten more accepting of nerd culture and nerd life in general. We’re more willing to accept people’s differences and unique tastes. For Renn Faires, specifically, I credit fantasy IPs like Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, and The Witcher for the upswing over the past decade. I noticed an upswing years before COVID, and then an explosion in the years after the pandemic.
I saw that you were a radio anchor for NPR-WBUR. You played in Boston MSBL since 2018. You have a Guinness World Record for Most Whip Cracks with One Hand in 60 Seconds. You’re a multi-talented individual. Do you think that the progress to ren faire as a career was inevitable or did you a have a moment where it just clicked and you knew was what you wanted to do?
Well, I think my disparate interests are more a product of my own ADHD than anything else. For me, the move into Renaissance Faires was just a logical next step after I started street performing solo in college. You still have to gather a crowd, you still have to pass a hat at the end of the show. The only difference between Renn Faires and street performing is that you get paid to do your show and you have a dedicated stage for it. And I’d been doing Renn Faires since I was 6 years old, so I was already familiar with them.
How many faires have you performed at over the years? Are there any that really stand out for you as favorites or close to your heart? In your view, what makes a faire? What is it about this festival or that festival that gets you excited to go back?
King Richard’s Faire is where I started, both with my dad back in the 90s, and as Jacques ze Whipper back in 2008. It’s where I grew up, both as a person and a performer, so it’s got a special place in my heart. But at this point, I’ve worked well over a dozen festivals of varying sizes all around the country, from some of the largest like Ohio and Maryland, to small, one-weekend shows in Valdez, Alaska. What I love about it is that each show has its own unique characteristics and quirks. I’m often asked if I have a favorite, and the honest answer is that I don’t. Every show has things I like and things that I don’t like. And the variety of moving place to place makes it so that I’m always excited to return.
You’re a very busy performer. More than faires you do comedy clubs, you do resorts, you were on America’s Got Talent, you do TikTok’s. What does it take from you and what is it that you get in return? Where do you find the energy, the chutzpah to keep going?
My father is the son of a midwestern factory worker and worked in a factory himself for two years so he could afford to go to a performing arts school in Paris. My mother is the daughter of midwestern farmers who is the first in her family to go to college and earn a doctorate. Both my parents instilled a very strong work ethic in me. But on top of that, it’s hard to say no to new, exciting things. I want to go to new places and see new places. So,- I probably say yes to more than I should.
Your fan base is at what, 7 million followers across platforms and growing? What is something you would like your fans to know about this career? What would you tell them about the rigors and rewards of choosing this life for yourself? Most importantly, what would you say to some talented young whip cracker who’s thinking about getting into showbiz?
Mostly, I just want them to know that my show isn’t all just musical whipping, haha. Thankfully, most of them are very understanding about the life and the tolls it takes on my body. As for advice, I’d tell any young performer to start curating their social media presence now, and just as importantly, to get as many reps as they can onstage as possible. You want to be so comfortable in front of people that no stage is ever intimidating.
What is it, to you, that makes ren faires important? In a timeline that is difficult to work through and the strains that people are feeling these day, what is it that we as humans as a crowd, get from a Renaissance festival that just cannot be had anywhere else?
The Renaissance Faire has always been a place where people — particularly those on the margins of society — can come and be themselves. It’s consistently been one of the most welcoming places for the LGBTQ+ community, but beyond that, it’s a great place for people who don’t fit neatly into normal society or normal office life. I’m one of those people. I spent 13 years in a normal-ish job and never felt like I truly fit in.
Last but far from least, how are you enjoying your first time at the Ohio Renaissance Festival?
The folks here in Ohio have been nothing short of delightful, even if the weather has been absolutely miserable. People have been polite, respectful, and incredibly generous, and the folks who run ORF have bent over backwards to make my addition here as seamless as possible. It’s been a pleasure, even if its made me consider completely revamping my costume. I’m very much looking forward to a drier and cooler weekend ahead.