It’s not often you find a place where seeing Tim Curry in drag multiple times a week is viewed as the norm. But that is the life of being a part of the fanbase of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” In 2018, having only seen the film a handful of times, I joined the Irrational Masters Shadowcast and spent the next four years performing for hundreds of people in the historic Egyptian Theatre, 135 N Second St.

As a cinephile, I had heard of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” in high school and knew only three things about it. First, it’s the longest-running film in the history of cinema, having a constant stream of late-night screenings since 1975. Second, it has a song about jumping to the left and stepping to the right. Third, it has the best part of “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” Tim Curry, dressed in drag. That’s it. 

That’s a bit of an oversimplification. The film, based on the Broadway musical, is about a couple named Brad and Janet, played by Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon, who get stranded in the American countryside and find a castle in the rain. How a medieval castle is in America, I have no idea. When they enter the castle, they meet a mad transvestite scientist named Dr. Frank N’ Furter, played by Tim Curry, and an assortment of crazy characters in a sexually liberating environment. 

The weekend before I was to leave for my first semester at NIU, the film was playing at the Harvest Moon Drive-In in Gibson City and my mom thought that it would be a lot of fun to go see it. We went to this gigantic drive-in theater, with two screens, nestled in the cornfields and saw so many people dressed in costumes. 

When the film began, I thought I heard something on the other side of the drive-in. Throughout the film, I heard people shouting and I wondered “what the hell are they arguing about.” It wasn’t until the 15-minute mark that I realized that the audience was shouting call-back jokes that aligned perfectly to lines in the film. After that, I was hooked. 

“The film on its own wouldn’t be here today without the audience participation,” said Josh Chesser, director of the Irrational Masters Shadowcast. “‘Rocky Horror’ was a box office flop when it was released in ’75 but shortly after it was put in the midnight/double feature slot and started attracting the LGBTQ+ crowd and misfits of society, those groups became regulars, going to screenings every weekend and began spicing up the movie theater by shouting audience participation lines. Simply put, ‘Rocky Horror’ is successful today because of the fans.”

When I came to NIU, I began working quickly at the Northern Star and my editor, Dylan, told me that they were a member of the Shadowcast and were performing in a week. I decided to come out and check out the show. Nine times out of ten, seeing your editor perform in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” would kill the working relationship, but we seemed to get through it okay. 

In the fall of 2018, there were shows in August, September and October, and I saw them all. Something about the show spoke to me. A massive amount of people worship this film. 

“‘Rocky’ has fans from all around the world and from all points in time and it’s always fun to meet those people from outside my circle,” Chesser said. “We have nothing in common but when ‘Rocky Horror’ starts playing it feels like I’ve known them my whole life.”

I contacted Josh about joining the cast and I was in by the November show. For the next few years, it’s been a massive trip of decadence and debauchery masquerading as cinema. 

Being in the shadow cast is very simple. You have to reenact the entire film on stage. It’s basically being in a play but you don’t say the lines. You just mime, touch the screen and make visual jokes. And being on the Egyptian Theatre’s stage is the ultimate gift because I have been to many screenings and they’re usually in arthouse theaters that are more low-key.

The Egyptian is a cinema palace from the 1920s that has become a cultural epicenter of DeKalb. 

When a show comes up, you have to meet with the cast and practice. We change roles often so we have to memorize the movements. It’s a lot of work to memorize the film but being with the cast makes it all worth it. That and seeing Susan Sarandon blown up to 30 feet on a gigantic screen. 

“Like any good social group, it’s a place to be around people who share common interests, make new friends, get involved in the community, and once a month stand on a stage in your underwear in front of a couple of hundred strangers,” Chesser said. “The Irrational Masters are always welcoming new cast members! Send us a message on Facebook, Instagram, or send us an email at [email protected].”

As a cinephile, one of my favorite things is to introduce my favorite movies to my friends. In August, I took my friends to the Corn Fest show of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” I wasn’t in the cast this time, I was sitting in the crowd with my friends and seeing them react to the insanity of the show was visual ecstasy. We danced to “The Time Warp,” I made callbacks and we laughed so hard at the audience’s participation. As for our Halloween show in October, we had one of our largest crowds as the cast and I performed for a nearly packed audience. 

But, because I’m graduating in May, the Feb. 18 show was my last with the Irrational Masters Cast. That last show was incredibly bittersweet because I just can’t believe that I’m saying goodbye to all the fun I had. Seeing a film in theaters is something that nothing can compare to, not even the best home theater setup with surround sound speakers and vibrating massage chairs. 

How many times have you seen a film you love in theaters? Three or four? The most I can recall was when I saw “Avengers: Endgame” and “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood” five times each in 2019. I’ve seen “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” over 20 times in theaters, including all the times I performed in the Irrational Masters Shadowcast. 

The fact that I’ve seen this film so many times and that I’ve helped others enjoy their experience by performing is really special to me. “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” is just something special. It’s an insane musical extravaganza with horror, erotic and exploitation elements that combine in the most enjoyable way. It’s pure lightning in a bottle. 

So, on Feb. 18, I danced my heart out on a stage in front of hundreds. I did the jump to the left and the step to the right. I put my hands on my hips and pulled my knees in tight. But everyone knows that it’s the pelvic thrust that drives you insane and that insanity is never going to leave me.