Traditions surround us in our day-to-day lives. Whether you’re pouring morning coffee, going to church on Sunday, or decorating the Christmas tree, we exalt traditions as not only an essential part of our culture but as a way to express our community’s identity. While individual celebrations differ, these customs are what bring us closer together. As Halloween approaches, some of our spooky season traditions are obvious. Many will fondly regale their times trick-or-treating or designing a costume, but there is another ritual that may be a bit less familiar to some.
On Oct. 30, the Gender and Sexuality Center (GSC) at Swarthmore is putting on its annual shadowcast production of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” The ’70s cult classic challenges societal norms and traditional gender roles while characters don heels, golden short-shorts, fishnets, and copious amounts of glitter. While the movie is erotic, entertaining, and eerily exciting, its yearly recreations and shadowcasts are central to its reputation. Annually, theaters and colleges perform this show with blocking, choreography, and rehearsals. Director Ellie Wechsler ’27, a creative writing major and psychology minor, explains that the GSC will use “a shadowcast: the performers act out some of the scenes live, while the movie plays behind. Don’t expect polish. Expect yelling, dancing, fishnets, audience callouts, and a whole lot of ass. Expect to feel a little weird [and maybe to like it].” Wechsler’s vision embraces the joy of Rocky Horror — its bold, campy, and unapologetically fun nature — while honoring the deeper sexuality, nonconformity, and self-expression that has landed its rank as legendary queer-affirming media.
However, this production is more than “the only chance you’re going to get to see your classmates dancing half-naked, screaming, dancing, and thrusting to one of the best movies ever made,” as Wechsler puts it. Rocky Horror has earned its place in the LGBTQ+ community. The film was an early pioneer of pride as one of the first more widely recognized movies not only to positively portray but to celebrate queer characters and sexuality. It was an early proponent of self-expression and gender nonconformity. It encourages viewers by preaching, “Don’t dream it; be it,” allowing them to become their true, authentic selves — fabulous, bold, and sexy. The film and its shadowcast replications are an outlet for members of the queer community to break free of sociotypical behavior and fully embody who they are.
Today, the queer community still struggles with the frequent misconceptions that come with being misunderstood. Wechsler expressed that “sometimes on campus, queerness can be sterilized into theory. It feels refreshing to have a queer performance that is messy, about chaos and desire.” After half a century, performing this show brings an incredibly impactful effect on both performers and audiences. Rocky Horror demonstrates that queerness is more than “gay is okay” or a classroom topic, but is a real-life experience for millions every day. The film presents sexuality in your face, forcing us to see queerness in a way that doesn’t abide by American society’s sensitization.
Whether or not you’ve watched “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” before, this tradition differs from others because no experience is the same as another. In discussing her first “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” experience, Wechsler recalls that attending a production “scared [her], because it was like nothing [she] had ever seen before. When [she] came back to it later in life, it felt like finding something that had been waiting for [her]. It felt familiar, in a weird way. It showed [her] what art could be.” This is an art piece that is funny and fabulous, significant and sexy, unique and unfiltered.
If you’re looking for an arousing and entertaining night, “Come up to the lab and … see what’s on the slab.” The Gender and Sexuality Center will put on “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” for one night and one night only on Oct. 30, 11 p.m. at Olde Club. Celebrate the beginning of Hallow’s Eve with the GSC by, as Dr. Frank-N-Furter would say, “[Giving] yourself over to absolute pleasure,” supporting local theater, and exploring these taboo ideas for yourself — who knows what you might discover?
