Gender, Sexuality, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Rocky Horror Picture Show was released in 1975 to the shock of audiences and a flurry of bad reviews. Its over-the-top performances, blatantly sexual themes, and unusual plot made it ripe for cult status. Today, super fans of Rocky Horror perform shadow casts, in which they act out the movie in front of the movie screen as it plays. This creates a new, incredibly unique way for the film to engage audiences and expand upon its themes of personal identities and exploration.
Join in as I interview a local shadow cast actor and break down the concepts of sexual shame, identity, gender fluidity and dominance in the film. Dr. Frank N. Furter will be glad you’re here.
Referenced materials:
Women and Gender in Musicals Week: ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ and the Pitchfork of Puritanism
The Rocky Horror Picture Show: A Cult Classic that Challenged Sexual Mores
Cult Truth: Why The Raunchy ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ is Hilariously Humanizing
The Astonishingly Non-Nonsensical Plot of The Rocky Horror Picture Show
