Theatre Bizarre
Encyclopedia
Theatre Bizarre is an annual Halloween
masquerade
staged in a residential Detroit neighborhood. Occupying several adjoining properties, the grounds include a haunted house, a Ferris wheel and several stages that accommodate over 150 performers each year. The performers include local and national music
acts, burlesque
dancers, suspension artists and sideshow "freaks"
. Included in the national acts that have played at Theatre Bizarre are The Enigma, Mucca Pazza
and winner of the 2010 Miss Exotic World Pageant
, Roxi Dlite
.
, where he'd held studio space and staged a large Halloween party each year. He and Ken Poirier, who owned several properties just south of the Michigan State Fairgrounds, laid the groundwork for what would eventually become Theatre Bizarre.
Since that time, the grounds have played host to multiple masquerades and other public events as well as serving as the backdrop for several independent film
s and the music video for King Gordy
's Nightmares.
In 2010, the city of Detroit moved to close down the grounds, based on a variety of zoning
violations, causing the event and its 2500 attendees to be moved at the last minute to the Fillmore Theater (formerly The State Theater). A documentary film
of the Theatre and its history is currently in production.
In June of 2011, The Kresge Foundation
named John Dunivant as one of its 2011 Visual Arts Fellows.
The October 2011 performance of Theatre Bizarre will be held in the Detroit Masonic Temple
, the largest building of its kind in the world, allowing for an attendance of up to 5000 partygoers.
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
masquerade
Masquerade ball
A masquerade ball is an event which the participants attend in costume wearing a mask. - History :...
staged in a residential Detroit neighborhood. Occupying several adjoining properties, the grounds include a haunted house, a Ferris wheel and several stages that accommodate over 150 performers each year. The performers include local and national music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
acts, burlesque
Burlesque
Burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects...
dancers, suspension artists and sideshow "freaks"
Freakshow
Freakshow most commonly refers to:* A freak show, an exhibition of raritiesFreakshow or Freak show may also refer to:-In music::* Freakshow, a Britney Spears song featured on her 2007 studio album, Blackout...
. Included in the national acts that have played at Theatre Bizarre are The Enigma, Mucca Pazza
Mucca Pazza
Mucca Pazza is a 30 piece self-described "circus punk marching band" based in Chicago. The band, whose name comes from the Italian for "crazy cow," has been performing in and around the Chicago area for over seven years. Their repertoire ranges from Balkan-brass to covers of 60's television show...
and winner of the 2010 Miss Exotic World Pageant
Miss Exotic World Pageant
The Miss Exotic World Pageant is an annual neo-burlesque pageant and convention, and is the annual showcase event the Burlesque Hall of Fame...
, Roxi Dlite
Roxi Dlite
Roxi DLite is a Canadian burlesque performer, model and photographer from Windsor, Ontario. She was crowned the Reigning Queen of Burlesque and Miss Exotic World 2010 at the Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas. Her tagline is the Drinkin’, Strippin’, Smokin’ Machine.-Background:Roxi DLite resides...
.
History
In 1999, John Dunivant was ejected from Detroit's Russell Industrial CenterRussell Industrial Center
The Russell Industrial Center, known as The Russell, is located at 1600 Clay Avenue in Midtown Detroit, Michigan. The Russell is a , seven building complex, designed by Albert Kahn for John William Murray in 1915...
, where he'd held studio space and staged a large Halloween party each year. He and Ken Poirier, who owned several properties just south of the Michigan State Fairgrounds, laid the groundwork for what would eventually become Theatre Bizarre.
Since that time, the grounds have played host to multiple masquerades and other public events as well as serving as the backdrop for several independent film
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
s and the music video for King Gordy
King Gordy
Waverly W. Alford III , better known by his stage name King Gordy, is an American rapper.- Biography :King Gordy is a horrorcore rapper from Detroit, Michigan. He appeared on Bizarre's solo album. Gordy and Bizarre have been good friends since childhood...
's Nightmares.
In 2010, the city of Detroit moved to close down the grounds, based on a variety of zoning
Zoning
Zoning is a device of land use planning used by local governments in most developed countries. The word is derived from the practice of designating permitted uses of land based on mapped zones which separate one set of land uses from another...
violations, causing the event and its 2500 attendees to be moved at the last minute to the Fillmore Theater (formerly The State Theater). A documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
of the Theatre and its history is currently in production.
In June of 2011, The Kresge Foundation
The Kresge Foundation
The Kresge Foundation is a U.S. philanthropic private foundation headquartered in Troy, Michigan. The goals and aspirations of seven programs guide its grantmaking and investing. Those programs are Arts & Culture, Community Development, Detroit, Education, Environment, Health, and Human Services...
named John Dunivant as one of its 2011 Visual Arts Fellows.
The October 2011 performance of Theatre Bizarre will be held in the Detroit Masonic Temple
Detroit Masonic Temple
The Detroit Masonic Temple is the world's largest Masonic Temple. Located in the Cass Corridor of Detroit, Michigan, at 500 Temple Street, the building serves as a home to various masonic organizations including the York Rite Sovereign College of North America. The Masonic Temple Theatre is a venue...
, the largest building of its kind in the world, allowing for an attendance of up to 5000 partygoers.