Don’t dream it, be it.

The Student Experimental Theater, in affiliation with Gator Activities Programming, donned fishnets and corsets to put on an exuberant performance of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” on Friday, Oct. 17, and Saturday, Oct. 18. The shadowcast production — a format where actors perform in front of a screening of the movie, lip-syncing rather than talking or singing — drew over 100 students across the two nights.

This production of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” coincided with the 50th anniversary of the film’s release in 1975. Over the years, the film has become an iconic piece of LGBTQ+ performance art.

“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” was one of the first examples of mass queer media, according to Visiting Assistant Professor of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Jo Giardini. The groundwork for its public reception was laid by dozens of activist organizations in the 70s that combatted homophobia by engaging in legislative work, demanding better media representation, challenging several scientific bodies’ categorization of homosexuality as an illness and confronting discriminatory business practices.

“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” is a cult-classic musical film that follows a straightlaced young couple, Brad and Janet — in Allegheny’s production played by Brayden Devinney, ’26, and T Laplatney, ’26, respectively — whose car breaks down on a dark, stormy night. They seek shelter in a mysterious castle inhabited by the eccentric and flamboyant Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a self-proclaimed “sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania,” played in this production by Rae Robison, ’26. Frank-N-Furter and his bizarre entourage of servants and scientists are all preparing for the unveiling of Frank-N-Furter’s newest creation: a muscular, handsome man named Rocky — played by Iris Styers, ’26, — built to be the perfect lover.

During the 70s, the film was primarily screened in the midnight movie market, an alternative market for films that Giardini, in an interview with The Campus, said set the tone for venues to more openly cater to and include LGBTQ+ clientele, for movie-goers to be more comfortable sitting alongside LGBTQ+ audience members and for a more public embrace of an aesthetic that was commonly referred to during the 60s and 70s as “camp.”

This aesthetic is evident as the plot of the movie unfolds. After meeting Frank-N-Furter, Brad and Janet are drawn into a world of outrageous costumes, rock ‘n’ roll, sexual liberation and unapologetic rebellion against social norms, experiencing a surreal blend of horror, comedy and glam spectacle that celebrates freedom of expression, challenges conventional ideas of gender and sexuality and ultimately transforms their perception of themselves and the world around them.

“Camp,” Giardini said, is an aesthetic that “Rocky Horror” “delightfully participates in,” but is a “slippery” term to define because “it’s as much an attitude toward a work as it is a quality of an aesthetic work in and of itself.”

Many LGBTQ+ writers have attempted their own definitions of the word over the years. Giardini likes the definition in Bruce Rodgers’ 1972 book, “The Queen’s Vernacular: A Gay Lexicon,” a dictionary of terms circulating in LGBTQ+ communities in the 60s and 70s. The definition of “camp” extends for three pages, so Giardini referenced just the first paragraph.

“‘What is camp?’” Giardini read. “‘Camp is burlesque, fun, an ability to poke a jocular finger at one’s own frustrations and guffaw at the struggle of other pathetics, homosexuals or famous, influential people. A bit actor who works in commercials is camp. A politician who tries too hard is also camp. Camp personalities are sometimes loved because they are unpretentious, real. They make no excuses for their actions or words. The fun thing about a camp is that the more seriously he or she takes himself, the campier he becomes.’”

“‘Items are also camp if they are so ostentatious, they’re considered good taste,’” Giardini continued. “‘So bad they’re good. Some, such as pop posters, were once camp, but here comes the rub: as soon as an object is advertised as such, it is no longer camp. Camp is discovering the worthiness in something seemingly without value; finding the genius in something that flopped once upon a time; beauty in the grotesque.’”

The aesthetic of “Rocky Horror” and the high-energy environment can make participating in the shadowcast both a fun and fast-paced experience.

“My favorite part of the production was getting to be with the actors and production team,” said tech crew member McKenna Gray, ’29. “I loved getting to know all of them and getting to see how they individually impacted the show.”

As a tech crew member, Gray helped keep things organized backstage and helped the cast members with costume changes.

Co-director and ensemble member Natalie Anderson, ’28, similarly enjoyed the community environment.

“My favorite aspect of working on this production was getting to know everyone in the cast and making new and stronger connections with other people on campus,” Anderson said. “I also loved the experience I gained from working on the show and hearing all the positive feedback and excitement for the show from the community.”

That excitement partially takes the form of callouts, words and phrases the audience yells in response to scenes in the film. The callouts began when “Rocky Horror” was first released, when individual audience members yelled out responses to scenes to make those around them laugh. Now, after 50 years, the callouts have solidified into a script of sorts, though there were still plenty of spontaneous callouts from the audience on Friday and Saturday as well.

Allegheny’s “Rocky Horror” performance is entirely student-led.

“I think it’s (“The Rocky Horror Picture Show”) also a good way for those who would like to do more performance-based activities but don’t have the time or know where to start with doing other performances, such as Playshop productions or acting classes,” Anderson said. “It’s also a lower-stakes show since a lot of the draw is how crazy things can get in the show, and people don’t have to memorize lines and know how to sing in order to be a part of it.”

The production team consisted of Anderson, Jude Gotschall, ’26, Sam Ault, ’26, and Ainslee Plesko, ’28, with Ault, Anderson, Plesko, Gray and Pressley Stevens, ’29, serving on the tech crew.
Additional cast members included Daniel Servey, ’29, as Riff Raff, Veronica McNeece, ’27, as Magenta, Violet Rignani, ’28, as Columbia, Nic Ingerson, ’25, as Dr. Scott and Zoe Williams, ’29, as Eddie. The ensemble also included Anderson, Plesko, Alyssa Gent, ’27, Megan Kromer, ’28, Styers and Ingerson.

Giardini sees the continuation of the “Rocky Horror” tradition as an important one.

“I’m a big believer — and I think Rocky Horror is important for this reason — that the material remnants of queer culture really deserve being valued,” Giardini said. “Like, thinking not just about queer culture in the abstract, but really zooming in on what queer people made and how they loved it, matters.”

The tradition of a “Rocky Horror” shadowcast performance will continue at Allegheny in the years to come.

“The Rocky Horror Picture Show was a totally invigorating and unique experience,” Gray said. “I would love to do it all over again.”