Theatre Bizarre 2012 – Detroit of the Living Dead

*Due to the *Mature Rating* of some of these photos, I just wanted to put them on a private page.If you’re here, I’m assuming you made a choice to be here and view these.  Please remember, this was a Halloween Celebration, so the images may have graphic costumes or not much costume on at all, (Burlesque dancers!)  – In short, it’s all in good fun! But all in all, it was an amazingly cool experience, and one that made me proud to see accomplished in Detroit. There is such a vast well of creativity and performers in this area, and it’s nice to see their hard work culminate in something so grand.

Theatre Bizarre is a One-Night-Only Celebration that happens once a year in Detroit. This year’s title was “The Summoning.” To attempt to explain it would never do it justice. (Just go HERE to their official page and read all about it and it’s colourful history..it’s practically a Detroit landmark on it’s own!). This year, my friend Miranda Hopkins (another talented photographer herself!), being a Theatre Bizarre veteran, grabbed me a ticket, and brought me along on the journey, both os uf with cameras in tow. UNFORTUNATELY, unbeknownst to me, she was not allowed inside with her camera due to an overzealous security guard who said “I’m not supposed to let those kinds of cameras in here.” Despite him NOT seeing mine, and despite there being only about 400 other cameras and cell phones inside, I was not going to let it sway me from my goal… I was a man on a mission, wearing a luchador mask and ready to record some amazingness that night! Nothing would get in my way!

And so, here is the fruits of my trip. My goal wasn’t to create anything to sell, my goal wasn’t to be disruptive. Indeed, I travelled with only my trusty 5D Mark III and a single 35L F1.4 lens, no flash, nothing more to slow me down. (I even left the grain purposely in many of the photos as, other than a few adjustments for exposure and white balance, I wanted to preserve the feeling of the night in the photosso they are as raw as I would like them to be.)  I wanted to photograph cool things and share them with others, to push myself to be creative without being hired to do so, to stretch myself to the confines of only one lens and one focal length.  To put it bluntly, I wanted to shoot something just for me. And I hope you enjoy them too!

To borrow a quote from Theatre Bizarre’s ringleader and “Mascot” of sorts, the undead Zombo wrote on the official TB Facebook page the morning of October 20, 2012:  “At long last, the day has arrived. Blood runs hot in our veins – pulsing in our ears. Our dark hearts are drawn to The Temple – each beat pulling us nearer. The waiting is almost over, minions. Tonight, we truly live…”

My wonderful companions from the evening.
As I walked out to my car at the end of my night there, this was what greeted me, and I deemed it a PERFECT ending to the evening.

I was not there in any affiliation to Theatre Bizarre, and I am not using these photos for any sort of compensation, I just hope you enjoyed seeing it through my eyes, and it was nice to just photograph from the hip that night.

To borrow one more quote from the great Zombo, in his post to the official TB Facebook page on Sunday Morning, October 21, 2012: “As the final embers grow cold and the fog clears, Zombo settles, once again, into the cold comfort of his restless slumber. His blackened heart is warmed by the adoration of his minions and he offers his solemn promise to return. For now, there is only darkness and the memory of a single night – but that is enough.

Thank you, minions. “