As a teen, I lived on the fringes of the high school cliques. I somehow managed to make friends with all types - A/V geeks, preppies, jocks, headbangers - but never felt like I was really a part of any one group.
And then I discovered The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
In my sibling's VW Van, along with a few friends, we stayed out past curfew to go to a local movie theater that was the only place for teenagers to go after curfew. When we arrived, the parking lot was full of teens and young adults relishing the freedom of a warm summer night, blasting their music of choice, with some imbibing substances that may or may not have been legal. It was definitely a scene.
Inside the theater was a flurry of activity. Guys trying to beat the high score on Ms. Pac-Man, giggling girls posing in a photo booth, lines forming at the concession stand for buttery popcorn and greasy nachos with extra jalapenos, and what interested me the most: several people in weird costumes and makeup milling about in the lower lobby beyond the velvet rope. I was informed by a friend who had been there before that there was a "shadow cast" who acted out the entire movie in front of the screen. Some of them had been doing this for years.
Now I was massively intrigued and couldn't wait to get inside the theater. We filed in, took our seats, and waited for the lights to go down. But first we were treated to a "pre-show" involving jokes, shouting, and dragging the uninitiated to the front of the theater for a somewhat embarrassing ritual. (I honestly can't remember if I participated in this or not!)
And then the movie began.
"Michael Rennie was ill The Day the Earth Stood Still...."
I could barely keep up with the frenetic shadow cast, the hysterical callback lines from the audience, flying rice, toilet paper, and toast, and the incredible performance of Tim Curry. I loved every minute of it and knew I wanted to be a part of it. Several viewings and a lot of of cajoling later (and I apologize to all the people I annoyed in the process!) I joined the cast as an understudy for Magenta. I eventually went on to play Riff-Raff and then Frank as well as being director of the Friday night cast known as "Dark Refrain".
Why did I love it so much? Simple answer - the people. Slightly more co
mplex answer - the support and love that a bunch of goofy misfits had for one another in good times and in bad. Looking out for each other, having a shoulder to cry on or a hand to high-five. That's why I'm still close with many of the cast members and regulars thirty years later. We reminisce often about our glory days at The Rocky Horror Picture Show, joyfully share news of our families and projects, and sometimes mourn for absent friends.
The biggest lesson from the film, to me, is "Don't Dream It. Be It." In other words, go for it, take all the chances, don't let anyone tell you that you can't, and be true to you. You can't get any better advice than that, and when you're surrounded by tremendously supportive weirdos, you feel like you really can.
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