For 34 years, artist Satori Circus has enlightened and astonished audiences in Metro Detroit with his unique style of theatrical performance art. With roots in the early 1980s local punk scene, Satori Circus officially was born in 1988 as a solo artist, cloaked in the anonymity of a painted face, with offerings that appealed, in particular, to audiences with an appreciation for vaudeville. Constantly evolving, the artist told the Free Press in 2017: “It’s just basically pure energy.” “Being Satori Circus ~ A Performance Documentary in Five Acts” tells this story in a narrative that fuses non-fiction and fiction storytelling and keeps the artist’s mystery intact.

AFTER THE FILM: Local journalist and author Rob St. Mary talks with director Mark L. Finnell and Satori Circus.