Student-directed production of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” has made its way back to Rowan in King Auditorium in Bozorth Hall. The cult classic was brought to life through the amazing shadow cast and interactive audience, creating a space where both the performers and the audience were able to come together for a great night.
On Nov. 14 and Nov. 15, Martin Hand, director of “The Rowan Rocky Horror Picture Show” production, put on yet another show with his shadow cast full of Rowan students.
Director of the show, Martin Hand, was inspired to begin this student-led production after watching “The Rocky Horror” film at a Halloween party with his friends in 2019. The production consists of both cast and audience involvement, a tradition that has been going on for years and years for this show. This production extends beyond the stage and screen, allowing us to build a sense of community and belonging through the show’s culture and strong audience presence.
Audience members were greeted with the classic characters and songs of the film on screen and on stage. The incredible cast sang out all of the iconic songs of the film while they performed the scenes in between with the film playing behind them. The audience was encouraged to shout out different words and phrases at different characters and were even able to purchase a “survival kit” with props that they could use throughout the performance.
“It’s a completely different form of theater. Typically, when you go to see shows, you’re sitting in silence. Clapping when you’re supposed to clap, laughing when you’re supposed to laugh, but with this, they’re really banking on the energy level of the crowd, like you’re a part of the show. I think it’s pretty cool,” said Cait Muller, an audience member and graduate student studying counseling in educational settings.
The cast interacted with the audience numerous times, whether that was bringing them on stage or coming up to them in the crowd during different musical performances. Some even created lines on the spot when talking back to audience members who shouted whatever they wanted at the performers, bringing performative freedom as well as humor to the show.
Coming to a show like this offers a unique experience, as many shows do not involve the audience in this way. Even before the show started, audience members who had never been to a “Rocky Horror” production, also known as “virgins,” were encouraged to make themselves known and come up on stage. Many of the traditions, such as this, reflect the celebration of self-expression, freedom, sexuality, and rebellion themes that the production is based upon.
“My favorite part of the audience interaction was my friends getting into it. I was not expecting them to be yelling, but I thought that it was really fun,” said Ilana Leshowitz, a sophomore theater education major who portrayed Frank-N-Furter in the production.
People off stage, like the sound designer, music director, and costume designer, were very involved in preparing for the production. With a show like “Rocky Horror,” there can be challenges when trying to make sure that the film and music are aligned with the performances of the cast. The additional element of the film makes this show insanely unique, but also requires a little additional work for those behind the scenes.
“When we were doing this, it was really hard because I didn’t have a live pit for a musical where you could have them sort of edit the music or vamp for a little longer. For this one, I had to find karaoke tracks that fit the best, and then I had to even try and mix and match them more,” said Wyatt Shaw, a sophomore radio, TV, and film major and sound designer for the show.
Independent student productions such as this one are crucial to the theater world, as they emphasize community when bringing together both the cast and audience, making all a part of the performance. It is especially important that Rowan students and locals come out to support their peers and donate towards causes like these in order to keep student productions alive.
“I think the main role of Rocky and the shadow cast that people do is that it’s all about the community and the audience that comes with it. I definitely want people to sit in the theater and be together and kind of interact with each other,” said Martin Hand, director of the production and senior studying electrical and computer engineering.
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