2023 Detroit Theatre Bizarre canceled due to venue issues
(Photo: Theatre Bizarre)
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Detroit's annual Halloween event Theatre Bizarre is canceled this year.
According to the event, booking issues at the Masonic Temple are to blame.
"A double-booking at the Masonic Temple has created an impossible situation that disrupts much of our main floor space, including our main entrance," event organizers wrote in a post announcing the cancelation.
The event has been held at the Temple for more than a decade after being at other locations in Detroit.
Event organizers hope the two-weekend masquerade can return next year.
Here's the full statement:
"It is with deepest regret that we announce the 2023 Theatre Bizarre season has been canceled.
"A double-booking at the Masonic Temple has created an impossible situation that disrupts much of our main floor space, including our main entrance. We do have a contract for the space and have been pressing for a solution for some time. Unfortunately, resolution remains out of reach.
"The Masonic Temple has been a tremendous partner for 11 years, and we are hopeful this situation will be addressed and a spectacular return produced in 2024. The Temple is an extraordinary venue, with a layout and mystique that intertwine perfectly with the Theatre Bizarre experience and storyline.
"To our dedicated leads, cast and crew who have been hard at work on performances, designs, logistics and scheduling, our hearts break with yours.
"To our featured performers, both stage and lane, 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 great loss in revenue this year without this production, the impact this will have on you 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 both 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 confections 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.
"Theatre Bizarre has become an iconic Detroit event, even garnering a permanent spot on the timeline at The Detroit Historical Museum. Few other immersive theater events exist in the world, and none approach seven to nine hours in length, involve nearly 1,500 performers and musicians, or cover eight floors of the world’s largest Masonic Temple.
"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."