In this week’s reading while Allen was talking about television commercials making an impersonal experience, such as watching TV, an interpersonal experience, all I could think about was Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Since 1976 (according to the official fan website), audiences have been shouting out random obscene remarks back at screens and/or actors performing Rocky Horror. The original musical and later film were not initially meant to be such a large phenomenon of audience participation, but the overall campiness of the show and well placed pauses that practically beg for a response have made it into one of the largest cult classics known today. Now, there are theaters all over the nation who willingly play Rocky Horror once a week to once a month to draw in perhaps the strangest crowds anyone will ever encounter. Going to a showing of it really seems to be quite an event. First of all, it is highly encouraged to dress up (or, given the costumes used in the show, dress down due to most of the costumes being just lingerie), then you need to bring your own props. These things include: rice, toast, hot dogs, toilet paper, rubber gloves, noise makers, newspaper, confetti, some sort of light (flashlights and cell phones are preferred over lighters), playing cards, and other random items depending on where you are going and what is allowed in the theater. All of these items are merely used to enhance the movie-watching experience because it forces you to interact with all the other audience members and makes you feel like you are interacting with the actors on screen. Aside from the props, audience members are encouraged to shout out at the screen, sing, and dance throughout the movie. This entire experience takes something as impersonal as watching a movie in a dark theater to something extremely interpersonal like asking the actor on the screen a question and they answer appropriately or throwing rice at the people around you.
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