Lights, camera … lips

If you’re walking or driving by Wingfield Park on the evening of July 14, you might see some strangely attired people walking around. A word of advice: Follow those freaks! They’re gathering to watch one of Artown’s biggest events, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Of course, if you don’t like rock musicals with racy humor or people who talk during the feature, you might want to stay away.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show was originally an experimental stage production, written and directed by Richard O’Brien. The film version of Rocky Horror premiered in 1975. In this tale of misadventure on a dark and stormy night, Brad (Barry Bostwick) and Janet (Susan Sarandon) are led to the castle of Dr. Frank ‘n’ Furter (Tim Curry). O’Brien plays the part of Riff Raff, a hunchbacked servant to the strange doctor. The night of Brad and Janet’s arrival, several Transylvanian transvestites also gather for a strange party.

Originally a box-office flop, Rocky Horror quickly gained an underground following that has spread worldwide. What elevates this cult movie above your ordinary bad movie is audience participation. Weekly showings at small theaters around the country began to draw fans dressed as their favorite characters. At showings, people would shout at the screen, throw birdseed and toast, squirt water guns, sing along and dance the “Time Warp.” Small groups embellished on what was happening on the screen. Soon, these impromptu casts were coordinating with theater managers and sometimes helping to clean up the mess afterward.

Rick Spagnola, 30, has seen the film about 50 times. He frequented late-night Rocky Horror showings at Keystone Cinemas before the Keystone Avenue location closed in 1988. He has many memories of staying out late in high school to chant along with everyone else. He says that a love of the show brought together diverse groups with one common goal.

“All the ‘different people’ looked normal at Rocky … gays, skinheads, goths, theater geeks,” Spagnola says. “All the fringe groups gathered and, for the most part, got along and had a good time.”

In 1998, Artown hosted the first free screening of Rocky Horror in Wingfield Park. It was a huge success and became an annual part of Artown’s Movies in the Park series. Tim Jones, associate director of Artown, says he is amazed at the success of the yearly screening. Last year, more than 2,000 people attended the showing.

“To our knowledge, this is the largest Rocky showing in the country,” Jones says. He commends the audiences of years past for picking up after themselves when the film is over. “People help with the responsibility of cleanup. It’s something great that can’t be duplicated.”

Also, for the fifth year running, a troupe from Menlo Park, Calif., called The Bawdy Caste will trek up to Reno to perform for the audience. Shannon Blake, who directs and performs in the show, says that the group loves its annual Reno appearance.

“The number of people alone is exciting,” she says. “There’s lots of energy and it’s a good crowd.”

Blake says that while at their home theater the show can get a little risqué, when they play to the all-ages crowd in the park, the cast keeps the show clean—at least, as clean as a movie about a mad doctor in drag can get.

And the diversity of the crowd is something that makes the experience in Reno special. “Freaks” and families (with parents who probably remember being “freaks"), teens and CEOs, toddlers and grannies all come out for the show. Some fans discover old friends they only see at Rocky Horror.

Everyone can enjoy the film, although some might not get the jokes the first time around. To fully enjoy the experience, bring picnic gear, birdseed, newspaper, squirt guns, flashlights/lighters/candles, noisemakers, party hats, toast, cards and a sense of humor. Please don’t bring rice or toilet paper; it’s bad for birds and makes cleanup a pain. But if you forget the above items, The Bawdy Caste sells inexpensive Rocky Horror survival kits. And remember, it gets cold at night by the river.

A few words of Rocky Horror etiquette: It’s OK to throw things, but don’t throw them at people. Remember to have an open mind and that everyone is there to have a good time. If you don’t know what’s going on, that’s OK. You’re not supposed to. Play along. Do the "Time Warp." And cheer for the lips.