My capstone project and final thesis paper for my undergrad was a production of The Rocky Horror Show. Here is an excerpt from my paper that covers the introduction and some history about Rocky Horror:
In the spring of 2022, I proposed to Jennifer (Jen) DeDominici, the head vocal instructor in Colorado College’s (CC) music department and director of their yearly musical, that we collaborate on a production of The Rocky Horror Show. I then proposed this collaboration to Theater Workshop (TW), CC’s student-run theater. Once the project was approved, we started planning so we could audition and start rehearsals as early as possible when the fall semester started. We had five weeks of rehearsals before four sold-out performances in TW’s theater, Taylor Theater, over Halloween weekend. My goal for this project was to build a community centered around personal growth in a joy-filled space. I was in the ensemble of a production of Rocky Horror right after I graduated high school, and it was the most fun I’ve ever had on stage. I explored my gender presentation for the first time through costuming, and I met other passionate Queer people who helped me develop my sense of self. I felt more myself on stage than I ever had. I wanted that feeling for my friends and community at CC. I wanted our production of Rocky Horror to be a place where anyone involved felt comfortable enough to explore their senses of self, sexuality, gender identity, and expression and feel an authentic sense of community through theater at CC.
I’ve always felt a connection to the communities that the arts foster. My parents sing with One Voice Mixed Chorus, one of the largest LGBTQ+ choirs in the country. I grew up in this Queer-positive community centered around music and performance, which inspired my love of theater. The theater world has always been a special place of connection and exploration. Because of the nature of acting and performance, we can create entirely new worlds that prompt change in our real world. Rocky Horror has a unique power to build community and growth because of its celebration of Queer joy and its creation of a space where social norms can be challenged.
To me, Rocky Horror has always been a celebration of Queerness –– the music is fun and memorable, and the engagement with the audience makes the theatrical experience unique. However, as I began to revisit the script at the beginning of this process, I began to see some issues with the show's content. What I remembered as a romp celebrating outsiders didn’t hold up as well as I’d anticipated. To lots of Queer people, Rocky Horror is not purely a celebration of Queerness, and rightly so (Keegan 2019). The depictions of trans people in Rocky Horror are deeply connected to anti-trans feelings and laws permeating our culture (Ellis 2021). However, I believe Rocky Horror still has meaning in today’s world despite all its problems. I feel this show has a unique spirit and energy to it. It drives people to learn more about themselves in unique ways and fosters beautiful communities that help people find joy in life. Through working on this project, I continued to grow and learn more about myself and my Queer identity, just as I did when I was first in Rocky.
The Rocky Horror Show was a stage show first produced in 1973 in the UK. It was an instant hit, transferred to the West End, and eventually moved to the US. However, when the movie, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, was released in 1975, it flopped, mainly because it didn’t work as the traditional movie theater viewing experience (Keegan 2019). The stage show worked so well because of the live elements and primarily because of the community it fostered (Siegel 1980). The Queer community was a large part of why Rocky Horror became so popular after the movie fell flat. Larry Viezel, president of The Rocky Horror Picture Show Fan Club, says, “I know of a lot of people whose lives were saved by this movie. Especially for those in the LGBT community, it’s a place where they could be themselves and find people who were their family” (Ivan-Sadeh 2020). In his chronicle of homosexuality in Rocky Horror, Mark Siegel describes how, in the post-Stonewall world, midnight showings of Rocky Horror became a safe, Queer-inclusive, and liberating space. These showings are where the traditional callouts were established. As audience members returned week after week, they found new ways to engage with the material. Heckling and throwing different props became the Rocky Horror standard at movie theaters, as it still is today (Siegel 1980). Many movie theaters also have shadow casts who perform the musical numbers in front of the screen, greet the audience, and guide the “virgin rituals.” Rocky Horror “virgins” are people who have never seen the movie. Virgins are marked with a red “V” in lipstick, and before it starts, all the virgins go up on stage and feign sexual acts like moaning or mimicking different sex positions (Ivan-Sadeh 2020). These rituals are synonymous with Rocky Horror and are why Rocky Horror is considered a cult classic (Siegel 1980).
The subversion of masculinity through Frank N’ Furter is what originally made Rocky Horror so subversive. Seeing Tim Curry, the original Frank, come out in a corset, black underwear, fishnets, and heels shocked the everyday audience of 1975. Today, that shock is not as extreme to audiences as Queer and trans bodies are no longer stigmatized by mainstream society in the same way they were fifty years ago (Crookston 2021). TV shows like Pose and Orange is the New Black have opened up trans identity to today’s audiences in ways that seemed impossible to people in the 70s and 80s (Crookston 2021). Frank was one of the first somewhat mainstream positive depictions of a presenting trans person in popular media and thus was incredibly influential to many in the Queer community. However, some of the content in Rocky Horror hasn't aged well. When Frank first enters, he sings, “I’m just a sweet transvestite from Transexual, Transylvania.” “Transvestite” and “transexual” are outdated words to talk about trans people. In the 1995 Queer road trip movie, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, drag queen Noxxema Jackson defines these terms. “When a straight man puts on a dress and gets his sexual kicks, he is a transvestite. When a man is a woman trapped in a man's body and has a little operation, he is a Transsexual” (Kidron 1995). Her statement defines these terms in a simple but powerful way. The term “transvestite” has a history of being associated with sexual perversion, seen explicitly in movies, television, and other forms of media (Contrapoints 2021). “Transsexual” is a term prescribed by the medical world to many trans people who choose to transition medically. The issue with “transsexual” is that historically, it implies that trans people are only valid if they transition medically. This excludes any trans person who can’t afford to transition, who isn’t in a safe enough place to medically transition, as well as any gender-nonconforming person who chooses not to transition but still identify as trans (Devon et.al. 2021).
The language in Rocky Horror was a subject of controversy when trans activist and actress Laverne Cox played Frank in the 2016 Fox TV production of Rocky Horror. Her biggest fears surrounding this part had to do with the language. She wanted to make sure people wouldn't be going up to trans people and calling them transvestites because that word is so outdated and considered offensive to many (Crookston 2021). However, some people today still identify as transexual or a transvestite. At the time of writing Rocky Horror, these terms, along with “drag queen,” were less rigid. Many of these people identify as trans now or understand their Queerness through the transgender lens instead of the transexual, transvestite, or drag queen lens. The most notable and famous trans activist from the Rocky era is Marsha P. Johnson, one of the instigators of Stonewall, who self-identified as a drag queen, not a trans woman (Crookston 2021). So, while the language used to describe Frank is no longer socially acceptable, this language is rooted in Queer history.
Also key to Queer media history is the concept of camp. Susan Sontag describes camp as the “love of the unnatural: of artifice and exaggeration” (1964). The key element of camp is ostentatious theatricality. It’s thought that the word camp comes from the french phrase “se camper,” meaning to pose boldly (Bekhrad 2019). Historically, this exaggeration has been connected to Queerness (Waxman 2019), especially when depicting narcissistic, hilarious, evil characters. Camp was essential for so many Disney animated villains like Ursula in The Little Mermaid, Hades in Hercules, Scar in The Lion King, and even Dr. Doofenshmirtz in Phineas and Ferb (Price 2020). These villains mostly do what they do for fun. Because these characters behave in such a campy style, all audiences are attracted to them because they’re having a good time. Still, Queer audiences especially see their culture represented in these villains, either through mannerisms, style, language, or the character’s outcast position (Henderson 2022). The Queer coding of villains through camp goes further than Disney animated movies with characters like Hella from Marvel’s Thor Ragnarok and the members of The Capitol in The Hunger Games franchise (Price 2020). While these examples of media were all created after Rocky Horror, they demonstrate how the camp aesthetic has remained significant for today’s audiences. Camp is fundamental in how Queer people see themselves on screen and interact with the surrounding world.
While the campy Queer coding of countless villains has profoundly affected how Queer people see themselves, these characters’ refusal to conform to the expectations of mainstream society and aesthetics has rooted itself in Queer culture (Price 2020). Camp is a significant reason why Rocky Horror has appealed to many Queer people. By all means, the plot of the show doesn’t make sense. First-time audience goers rarely understand what happens in the narrative but are drawn in by the over-the-top style of the show and movie. Long-time audience members have fallen in love with how Rocky Horror is a space where they can celebrate acting in extravagant, artificial ways. Furthermore, Frank N’ Furter behaves similarly to many iconic campy villains. He relishes in the fear and intimidation he brings upon his subjects. He cares about style and aesthetics. He doesn’t seek approval from the mainstream world; he actively counters it. These experiences are every day among Queer people (Price 2020). Frank is the embodiment of a camp villain, furthering the power he holds among Queer audiences.
I hope you enjoy reading this portion of the paper, you can check out photos and videos, as well as get more information about the project in my portfolio. I'll post a portion of the paper that discusses the specifics of our production in a little bit :)
SOURCES:
Bekhrad, Joobin. 2019. “What does it mean to be camp?” BBC Culture. Retrieved November 2022. (https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20190503-what-does-it-mean-to-be-camp).
Contrapoints. 2021. “J.K. Rowling.” You-tube website. Retrieved October 2022. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gDKbT_l2us).
Crookston, Cameron. 2021. “Can I Be Frank With You? Laverne Cox and the Historiographic Dramaturgy of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies. Duke University Press. 27:2. (https://muse-jhu-edu.coloradocollege.idm.oclc.org/article/788259).
Dammu, Rose and Fran Tirado. 2022. “All Roles Will Be Played By Lea DeLaria” Like A Virgin. Retrieved October 2022. (https://podcasts.apple.com/dk/podcast/all-roles-will-be-played-by-lea-delaria/id1592166548?i=1000583012640).
Demme, Jonathan. 1991. The Silence of the Lambs. Showtime Streaming Service. New York, NY: Strong Heart Productions.
Devon, Aaron, Kai Jacobsen and Edwin Hodge. 2021. “Who Counts as Trans? A Critical Discourse Analysis of Trans Tumblr Posts.” Sage Journals. Retrieved November 2022. (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/01968599211040835).
Ellis, Lindsay. 2021. “Tracing the Roots of Pop Culture Transphobia.” You-tube website. Retrieved October 2022. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHTMidTLO60&t=1243s).
Evans, Greg. 2021. “Actor Lauren Patten Speaks Out On Broadway’s ‘Jagged Little Pill’ Controversy & Reveals Her Future With The Show As Producers Apologize For Erasing A Nonbinary Character – Update.” Deadline. Retrieved December 2022. https://deadline.com/2021/09/jagged-little-pill-broadway-producers-nonbinary-erasure-lauren-patten-1234839144/.
Henderson, Taylor. 2022. “Not Just Queer Coded, These Disney Villains Were Designed by a Gay Man.” PRIDE. Retrieved December 2022. https://www.pride.com/movies/2022/3/10/not-just-queer-coded-these-disney-villains-were-designed-gay-man.
Ivan-Zadeh, Larushka. 2020. “The Rocky Horror Picture Show: The film that’s saved lives.” BBC. Retrieved November 2022. (https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20200618-the-rocky-horror-picture-show-the-film-thats-saved-lives).
Jürgens, Anna-Sophie. 2018. “Violent clowns and panto dames: the origins of Rocky Horror’s Frank-N-Furter.” The Conversation. Retrieved December 2022. https://theconversation.com/violent-clowns-and-panto-dames-the-origins-of-rocky-horrors-frank-n-furter-104003.
Kane, Katherine. 2010. “A Very Queer Refusal: The Chilling Effect of the Cullens’ Heteronormative Embrace.” Bitten by Twilight: Youth Culture, Media, and the Vampire Franchise. Ed. Melissa A. Click, Jennifer Stevens Aubrey, and Elizabeth Behm-Morawitz. New York: Peter Lang. (103-118).
Kidron, Beeban. 1995. To Wong Foo: Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar. Amazon Prime Streaming Service. Los Angeles, CA: Universal Pictures.
King Miller, Lindsey. 2018. “The Blurring of Sexual and Consent Boundaries in Rocky Horror Picture Show.” them. Retrieved November 2022. (https://www.them.us/story/rocky-horror-picture-show-consent-boundaries).
Keegan, Cáel M. 2019. “In Praise of the Bad Transgender Object: Rocky Horror.” Flow, the University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved November 2022. (https://www.flowjournal.org/2019/11/in-praise-of-the-bad/).
Mell-Taylor, Alex. Gently Ripping Apart ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show.’ An Injustice Magazine. Retrieved November 2022. (https://aninjusticemag.com/gently-ripping-apart-the-rocky-horror-picture-show-ce2ff8022e60).
Price, Devon. 2020. “I’m a Villain Coded Queer.” Medium. Retrieved December 2022. https://devonprice.medium.com/im-a-villain-coded-queer-5b98e01dd6c8.
Siegel, Mark. 1980. “The Rocky Horror Picture Show: More Than Lip Service.” Science Fiction Studies. 7(305-312).
Simone de Beauvoir Institute. 2021. “Tribute to bell hooks.” Concordia University. Retrieved November 2022. https://www.concordia.ca/artsci/sdbi/news/bell-hooks-tribute.html.
Sontag, Susan. 1964. Notes on Camp. New York City, NY: Partisan Review.
Rude, Mey. 2022. “15 Recent, Especially Brutal, Examples of the Bury Your Gays Trope.” Out Magazine. Retrieved November 2022. https://www.out.com/television/2022/9/19/most-brutal-examples-of-bury-your-gays-trope-in-television-movies#media-gallery-media-3.
Lewis, Maria. 2021. “Early Hollywood and the Hays Code.” ACMI (Australian Center for the Moving Image). Retrieved November 2022. https://www.acmi.net.au/stories-and-ideas/early-hollywood-and-hays-code/.
Waggoner, Erin B. 2018. “Bury Your Gays and Social Media Fan Response: Television, LGBTQ Representation, and Communitarian ethics.” Journal of Homosexuaity. 65:13 (1877-1891).
Waxman, Olivia B. 2019. “'The Word Is Camp': What to Know About the Inspiration for This Year’s Met Gala, as Explained in 1964.” Time Magazine. Retrieved November 2022. (https://time.com/5584111/met-gala-2019-camp-history/).
Comments