In 1975, the Rocky Horror Picture Show (RHPS) was released to the public and was not a box office success. The movie was considered a flop and was not given much promotion or attention for a while after its initial release.
However, during some showings of the movie, something began to happen. People began to interact with the movie in ways that were very unique from the typical movie-going experience.
Audience participation is what has kept the RHPS in the cultural canon for forty-seven years. People yell at the screen, bring bags of props, develop dance routines, and even act out the entire movie in front of the screen. This dedication to the movie has brought about volunteer organizations just to keep the authentic movie-going experience alive.
The Michigan Rocky Horror Preservation Society (MiRHPS) is one of these, and it runs out of the State Wayne Theater.
The Rocky Horror Experience at the State Wayne Theater is authentic for a handful of reasons. They heavily encourage attendees to say the most obscene things on the screen to interact with the movie itself and have an entire volunteer cast to act as the characters below the screen for an even more interactive experience.
MiRHPS sells bags of props at the theater and encourages their attendees to dress up like the characters in the movie. It is not uncommon to walk into the theater before the show and see people in full sets of lingerie or shiny gold speedos.
They want to provide old and new viewers with the same experience that people had at the beginning of the RHPS journey, almost fifty years ago. Through their hard work and dedicated volunteers, they can keep the traditions of the Rocky Horror Picture Show experience alive.
If you’ve never seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show and feel like going out of your comfort zone to do so, I would recommended going to State Wayne Theater. The theater gives newcomers to the show a welcome hand and a hearty introduction to the cult classic that doesn’t seem to be fading away any time soon.
Performances of the show occur on the second and fourth weekends of every month.
I would give the show a 9 out of 10.
