Theatre Bizarre

The future remains unclear for Zombo and his Accolytes. Thank you to those who keep a candle lit in His name.

What is clear, is that the creators of Theatre Bizarre have another event you may also enjoy!

is an immersive Star Wars fan event, with sets, props, characters and performances inspired by the films, designed and assembled by the TB crew! Much like Theatre Bizarre, it is a costumes mandatory affair filled with debauchery and carousing, drink and mischief. We simply know no other way.

If you wish to attend, tickets are still available for both weekends at www.spacedive313.com/tickets

Limited door tickets are also available for sold-out nights.

Keep those candles lit, Hail Zombo, and may the force be with you!

BLACK FRIDAY APPROACHES

As the days grow shorter and the kingdom of night encroaches, embrace the darkness with the .emporium Black Friday sale!

Use code DARKTIMES for 15% off store-wide, Friday only

Though it has been a strange year languishing in Zombo’s absence, we have felt such deep love and conviction from our community that our black hearts have remained full all the season long.

Keep the flame burning throughout the year, and know that Zombo is always just behind you, watching. Waiting. His dark machinations have only just begun.

Thank you.
Good Samhain.
Happy Hallowe’en.

Hail Zombo.

Zombo may slumber, but the Ghost Train shall not be derailed!

Attend thee, loyal servants, and take heed! Our steadfast compatriots at The Detroit Bus Company have a few tricks and treats in store for you on an arcane tour they call The Rotten Route.

Those who have attended Theatre Bizarre are likely to recognize a few familiar faces along the 3 secret destinations of this phantasmal expedition, plus be given the opportunity to ride our very own Ghost Train!

We strongly advise that those who miss the familiar chaos of the Temple consider patronizing this ambitious and momentous event, Oct. 26th-29th.

Visit www.TheDetroitBus.com for ticketing and details!

Happy Friday the 13th!

If you haven’t visited .emporium yet this season, now is the perfect time! In honor of the unholiday, the entire store is 13% off!

So don your unholy vestments now; This deal isn’t long for this world!

An October most strange.

We should be bustling about the temple, placing the final candles and candies, setting the lights just so, rehearsing and rejoicing in the anxious anticipation of opening weekend.

Though the halls remain hollow, and the floorboards untrod, let us still revel in the crisp autumn air, the changing of colors, and the restless shifting of spirits in this season of All Hallows. Light a candle for what was, what might have been, and what will yet be.

Yours in liminal eternity,
The servants of The Fool

Hail Zombo, now and always

Attend the Bizarre bazaar! We are happy to announce that Zombo's Emporium will be among the incredible vendor lineup of Witches Night Bazaar Autumnal Equinox at the Tangent Gallery / Hastings Street Ballroom this Friday the 22nd. Join us for an evening of art, ritual, magic and dance under a bewitching crescent moon. See you there!

We appreciate all those who came out and joined us at Dally In The Alley! Thank you for sharing your stories, photos, and encouragement. We loved hearing about your favorite Theatre Bizarre memories, your costume ideas, and your hopes for the future. We are grateful to have a community to surround and uplift us, and strive to make a return worthy of all your support.
We are truly, eternally grateful.
Hail Zombo!

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Dally in the Alley!
Come say Hi!
Here til 11pm.

THIS WEEKEND! Saturday Sept 9th!

Zombo may slumber, but his servants shall still be singing his praises at with lots of goodies from .emporium

Come by and say hello, mourn, carouse, console, and celebrate the Great Fool with us, and bring home some unholy vestment to honor His season.

See you there!

It is with deep regret that we announce the 2023 Theatre Bizarre season has been canceled.

A double-booking at the Masonic Temple has made an impossible situation that disrupts much of our main floor space, including our main entrance. We have a contract for the space and have been pressing for a resolution for some time. Unfortunately, it remains out of reach.

The Masonic Temple has been a tremendous partner for 11 years. We are hopeful this situation will be addressed and a glorious return produced in 2024.

To our dedicated leads, cast and crew who have been hard at work on performances, designs, and logistics, our hearts break with yours.

To our featured performers, who commit their time, vision and effort to their roles year-round, your immense talents will be sorely missed.

To our patrons from all across the country and beyond, whose experience has been denied, we share your disappointment and frustration.

To our many Detroit-area vendors and partners who will suffer a loss in revenue this year without this production, the impact this has weighs heavily on us.

This includes the Detroit Hostel, which we rent in its entirety for almost two weeks, caterers who will lose nearly $130,000 feeding our crew and patrons, the approximately $60,000 we spend on security, the Eastern Market farmer who will lose $15,000 in pumpkin sales, and the legendary Rocky Peanut Co., whose treats are enjoyed by our guests throughout the night. As well as the material suppliers, production houses, sound and lighting companies and countless other businesses that we rent from and work with. Not to mention the many Detroit-area hotels, restaurants and Uber and Lyft drivers that house, feed and transport nearly 10,000 patrons over the course of two weekends.

We appreciate all of you so much and could not have made it these 22 years without your passion, dedication, creativity, and blood, sweat and tears. With utmost commitment to each of you and the City of Detroit, we remain determined that The Greatest Masquerade On Earth will return in 2024.

With gratitude and love,

John Dunivant, Founder
Dawn Orebaugh, Controller
Maria Christian, General Manager
Zombo, Patron Saint

The lights are all lit, the presents are wrapped up tight, and the sound of sleigh bells… or are those chains?… fills the air!

No, it’s not a sleigh ride (though there are whips and crops aplenty).

It’s Fistmas!

We hope the joy, cheer, and peace of the season fills you all the way up to the elbow!

Be safe, have fun, and Hail Zombo! Merry Fistmas to all and to all a good bite!

📸 .gay.photographer

Halloween is here!

A liminal time, when the worlds of flesh and spirit merge, the ancient festival of Samhain is a night of tricks and treats!

Mummers and guisers wander the night, disguising themselves from the roaming spirits of the dead. Verse and song are exchanged for food, and devilish mischief is raised by folk and fae alike!

As the year enters its darker half, let the impish antics and b***y capers of this season light you through the dim, and the howling echoes of Zombo’s kingdom carry you across the threshold of the long, cold dark.

Happy Halloween
Good Samhain
Joyous All Hallows’

📸 Trever Long Photography

Into the flames and fray!

The night before All Hallows Eve is known by many names; Beggar's Night, Mischief night, even Cabbage Night. But the Temple of the Fool has manifested in Detroit, and here we have another name for it: Devil's Night.

It has a history of misconduct, vandalism, and arsonous destruction; exactly the kind of chaos in which the Devils of Zombo's temple revel!

So lock your doors and close the shades, unless you're looking to start a combustible commotion!

Happy Devil's night to all our dedicated demons.

📸 Trever Long Photography

The candle light is low. The jack o’ lanterns begin to flicker out, one-by-one. The candy jars are empty. The Wild Hunt has come and gone, the maddening horn of The Call fading past the far horizon.

Our sincere gratitude to all who made this event what it is, whether through toil, moil, or merrymaking. This year has truly been a resplendent return, thanks entirely to you.

Know that the revelry has not ended; the dancers and devils, clowns and carnies, all shall continue their riotous festivity throughout time, as they always have. The temple has merely gone behind the veil which separates our worlds. But, before it goes, listen closely and you may hear it; that last rolling snare, gasp of excitement, and thunderous applause, as they cry out before fading away for another year:

H A I L Z O M B O ! ! !

📸 Trever Long Photography

The final horn has sounded!

One last glorious ride of The Wild Hunt of Saint Zombo is underway, as revelers flood the temple to pay tribute to The Fool. Tricks and treats, jests and japes, all manner of sinful debauchery rule the night as we gather in His temple, to Hail Zombo one last time before it fades once more.

The night is yet young, and there is still much to behold! Come, let us drink in it’s dark sustenance together, before The End!

📸 Trever Long Photography

The Third Horn has sounded!

Saint Zombo’s Sacred Sacrilege washes over his adoring minions, as our second masquerade gala is underway! Only one more night remains before the Temple of the Fool fades once more behind the veil, but there are many delights yet in store for those who heed The Call!

Hail Zombo!

📸 Trever Long

ASK AND YOU SHALL NOT RECEIVE

Templum Balatro is a secret society.

It is also a society with secrets. As such, there are many areas of Theatre Bizarre that you will not necessarily be invited to observe. This is by design.

Everyone enters on equal ground, and has an equal chance of participating in any space, no matter how obscure or clandestine it may be.

Templum Balatro rewards curiosity, but not aggression, and those who ask shall not receive. We who keep the temple’s secrets do not owe them to you. Do not think you can bully, barter, or buy your way into Zombo’s hidden realms.

Some get tricks, others get treats. These are the rules of the game. Playing along is a much better way to get what you want than berating or crowding Zombo’s humble servants, but nothing is guaranteed. That’s what makes it magic.

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