“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” audience participation tips
It is OK to communicate with the cast or yell things out during the show. There are a lot of pauses in the dialogue for this.
Bring your sense of humor.
Dress however makes you feel comfortable, just no nudity.
First-timers, or “virgins,” are not expected to know anything.
If you are a “virgin,” the best way to avoid initiation rituals is to throw your other “virgin” friends under the bus.
When you hear the name “Brad Majors,” yell out “asshole!”
In Pruis Hall, throwing traditional and nontraditional “Rocky Horror” foods is forbidden. Leave the rice and toast at home.
Bring a copy of the Daily News because not only does it include this guide, but it doubles as a prop. You’ll see how soon enough.
Also bring flashlights, rubber gloves, noisemakers and party hats.
In 2009, a Ball State student stood backstage in Pruis Hall and wore nothing but black satin panties and a corset. He was about to take his first steps on stage to perform as Dr. Frank N. Furter in front of 1,500 people.
“When I threw the cape off for the big reveal in ‘Sweet Transvestite,’ everyone cheered,” Zachary Allen said. “It continued all throughout the show.”
At midnight, the Ball State shadow cast will take the Pruis Hall stage for its annual Halloween performance of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” For founding members Allen and Haley Dillon, it will be their last time.
It all started in 2008 during Allen’s freshman year. He attended the Halloween showing to discover that Ball State had no shadow cast to accompany the film.
Allen and friends organized a group and got University Program Board’s seal of approval to perform the following year.
Since 2009, the costumes have grown more elaborate and the cast has grown. Some cast members said they feel close to the characters they play.
Dillon has played the character Columbia for five years.
“She’s this kind of manic, crazy person who kind of obsesses over people and is really loyal,” she said. “I think that’s really where I come in. I relate to how deeply she loves and how deeply she feels.”
Performers said they have a diverse range of reasons for participating in the show.
Sophomore Taylor Wallace said she discovered the movie late one night in high school.
“I thought ‘What did I just watch?’” she said. “It’s people showing their true colors and not really giving a crud about what anybody else thinks. That’s what I want to be.”
Jeanie Reuter, a junior vocal music education major who also plays a transvestite, said the show is her wild side, “which is always out.”
While the production has grown over the years, Reuter strives for improvement in areas other than total cast members and costumes.
“I do a lot of multicultural stuff on campus, and I think we need more integration,” she said.
Brianna Bradley, production dance captain and a sophomore elementary and special education major, joined after reading a recruitment email from UPB.
She said she auditioned because she promised herself that if she ever got the chance to appear in either “Rent” or “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” that she would audition.
She is in line to succeed Allen as the producer of the show next year.
The dance captain creates choreography for the show every year. Most of the cast’s dancing is in line with that of the film, but the opening number changes each year to accommodate the different numbers of dancers.
Bradley has danced since she was 7, but she said she now struggles to find time for her passion.
“This is the only time of year I actually still get to dance,” she said. “Coming to college and getting to do it anymore, kind of makes me feel empty sometimes, so when I do the show, it keeps it close to me.”
Bradley said for the future, she wants to keep recruiting new people, especially male cast members. Most characters in the film are men, but the current cast is mostly women.
She and Allen also hope to make the show biannual instead of only once a year. She said plans for a spring performance are in the works.
Bradley said she plans to continue with the show throughout her time at Ball State.
“College is about getting new experiences that are different and weird and fun,” she said. “Once you go to ‘Rocky Horror,’ what seemed awkward or uncomfortable is no longer so.”
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