Starting on Oct. 17, the “Rocky Horror Show” will return for the 5th time to the Johnson City Community Theatre.
“Rocky is a cult classic and has been around 40 years,” said director Sarah Shanks said. “It is very nerve-wracking when we performed at Conapalooza last weekend, and standing watching hundreds of people come into this room knowing that they know the show, you don’t want to let the fans of something like Rocky down.”
Shanks is the latest in a long line of directors who has taken “Rocky Horror Show” and made it her own.
“I think every director has had their own interpretation of the script and their own concept with everything,” Shanks said. “My personal challenge that I took on was to make it bigger and better than the past four years, and I think we’ve succeeded in that.”
This version of the show is based on the original play while taking parts from the famous cult classic film, “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” which is based on the London play.
“My concept is modernizing the movie and basically taking concepts and things from the movie and brought them to a more modern age,” Shanks said. “So, what was risqué in the ‘70s is no longer risqué. Think Burning Man, Coachella, raves, and that pretty much sums up my Rocky.”
“Rocky Horror Show” will feature a key thing that occurred during screenings of the movie, and that is fan participation. Attendees can buy a $5 goodie bag at the entrance with specific items and instructions on how to use them, as well as having the script for audience participation when shouting in reply to characters.
“If you have never seen the movie or seen it live before, you should just be prepared to be called a virgin because that is what you are,” Shanks said. “We do have a de-virginizing ceremony for one special guest who gets selected each night, but you should also be prepared for fun and laughter and campy chaos.”
The show will last from Oct. 17 to Nov. 2. Tickets are available on the theater’s website with prices ranging from $18 to $25.
