Men prance about in fishnets and corsets and half-dressed women lounge in their skivvies. But this isn't the high heel race in Dupont. It's a rehearsal for AU students' production of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" in Ward 2.
This Halloween weekend, the Rocky Horror Picture Show Club will present the production on campus, after three years of planning by a group of seniors united by their passion for the show.
Senior Justin Schneider founded the club with fellow seniors Lisa Pickoff-White, Ross Nover and Rachel Treffeisen, for the purpose of putting on the production. The four, who became friends their freshmen year, have all been long-time "Rocky Horror" fans. When they discovered their common interest in the cult classic, they talked about starting a club and finally, as seniors, they are making that dream a reality.
"We had all been involved with Rocky before, in high school or other productions, and we thought we should put it on here," Schneider said. "That was three years ago, and we couldn't say anymore, 'Yeah, we'll do that later,' and so we're putting it on now."
The club has only been in existence since September, and the production will be ready just in time for Halloween. The founders were interested in starting some type of regular Halloween event on campus.
"AU has no Halloween activities," Schneider said. "There is a party in the Tavern this year, and even that is more than ever before."
The movie "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" was released in 1975, and the first midnight show premiered in 1976 on April Fool's Day in Greenwich Village's Waverly Theatre. Over the years, audience participation has snowballed into the full-fledged circus it is today. Screenings of the film involve re-enacting by actors, sing-alongs and prop involvement.
Audience members are encouraged to dress up as characters from the movie. Depending on the production, the audience often screams at the screen and throws props in the air - for example, during the wedding scene, participants throw rice. Schneider said they plan on selling prop bags before the show. Other props include bread and glow sticks.
Lisa Pickoff-White, the club's treasurer, said she started going to George Washington University's screening a few years ago, and was inspired by their annual production to bring the show to AU. While they want to provide the Rocky Horror experience to campus, the club is mostly interested in enjoying the show.
"We just think its fun," club co-founder Nover said. "We're not too concerned with whether or not everyone else enjoys it."
Schneider isn't sure about the amount of interest on campus, but he isn't worried.
"We haven't done a whole lot of publicity, mostly just word of mouth and people talking about the show," Schneider said. "People are coming in from Baltimore and GW, but if we fill half of Ward 2, I'll be thrilled."
Schneider said he is excited about the performance, even though he doesn't have a role on stage. He said both the cast and audience will be important in making the show a success.
"Every performance in any theater is different, because it depends on the people in the show and the audience," Schneider said. "Every cast is going to have its own culture."
The AU performance has its own unique aspects too. Not able to find all the needed props for the show, the crew had to improvise.
"To replace all the things we couldn't get, we're going to use a rubber chicken," Schneider said. "We call it the uni-prop."
Nover said he thinks the show will be fun for everyone involved, and Pickoff-White said she firmly believes that everyone from the AU community can find something to embrace in "Rocky."
"It has everything, from midgets to stun guns to cannibalism to Meatloaf ... How can you not enjoy screaming and movies?" she said.
The AU production of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" will be performed Saturday, and Sunday in Ward 2. Doors will open at 11 p.m., and the pre-show begins at 11:30. Tickets at the door are $3 for the AU community and $5 for others.
