The annual event held amongst the tombs of Laurel Hill Cemetery featured fire, aerialists and circus performers
Laura Rennegade performs with fire fans at The Ghostly Circus: Dante's Inferno, Friday, Aug. 10, 2018.
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice
by Thom Carroll PhillyVoice Contributor
For the fifth consecutive year, professional aerialists, circus artists and fire performers lit up Laurel Hill Cemetery with a powerful performance of "The Ghostly Circus." Set amongst mausoleums, tombs and gravestones, this year's show brought guests on a journey to hell, in "Dante's Inferno."
The show was created and produced by Lauren Raske and Britt Killeen of 7Textures, a contemporary event design and set building company that specializes in community celebrations, weddings, and the performing arts. Custom video projections accompanying each act were created by BRDG Studios and Mambisa provided live music and the "Dance-with-the-Dead After-Party" that followed.
The next performance will be held this Saturday, Aug. 18 at 8 p.m. as the previously-scheduled second performance was cancelled due to rain. More information can be found here.
Below is a collection of photos from Friday's spectacle.
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoiceCircus performers and aerialists, Wei Wei and Rae Mae, pose for a photo amongst the gravestones before the start of Friday's performance in Laurel Hill Cemetery.Thom Carroll/PhillyVoiceAnthony Crosby, who plays the character “Dante” and Christine Morano who plays “In Limbo,” pose as statues shortly before the beginning of Friday's show.
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoiceBritt Killeen, co-owner of 7Textures, co-produced The Ghostly Circus with Lauren Raske.Thom Carroll/PhillyVoiceGerald Bergen, or, “The Gates of Hell” character, poses for a photo before Friday's performance.Thom Carroll/PhillyVoiceAs dusk draws the day to a close, spectators watch the first act of The Ghostly Circus in Laurel Hill Cemetery.Thom Carroll/PhillyVoiceAerialists, Wei Wei and Rae Mae, perform on an aerial hoop at Laurel Hill Cemetery.Thom Carroll/PhillyVoiceHundreds attended Friday evening's unique performance set amongst the gravestones of Philadelphia's Laurel Hill Cemetery.Thom Carroll/PhillyVoiceErin Flanigan of Cotton Candy Circus Arts balances on an aerial hoop during Friday's performance.Thom Carroll/PhillyVoiceJilly Schwab spins a dragon staff during her act in The Ghostly Circus: Dante's Inferno.Thom Carroll/PhillyVoiceCircus instructor and aerialist, Shannon Sexton, hangs from the aerial chains during her performance Friday, Aug. 10, 2018.Thom Carroll/PhillyVoiceCassandra Angelucci and Laura Rennegade perform with fire fans at The Ghostly Circus: Dante's Inferno.Thom Carroll/PhillyVoiceShannon Sexton hangs from aerial chains while a a track from the “extreme metal” band Celtic Frost blares from the speakers.Thom Carroll/PhillyVoiceScriptwriter of The Ghostly Circus: Dante's Inferno, Loretta Vasile, acts out a scene along with Gerald Bergen and Anthony Crosby near a mausoleum in Laurel Hill Cemetery.Thom Carroll/PhillyVoiceEric Geoffrey, a wire walker of the Funicuar Circus performs in Laurel hill Cemetery, Friday, Aug. 10, 2018.Thom Carroll/PhillyVoiceShannon Sexton, Laura Rennegade, Erin Flanigan and Madeleine Belle perform in front of a mausoleum in Laurel Hill Cemetery.