Stevens students and alumni descended on Bow Tie Hoboken Cinemas for the first time as the first ever Rocky Horror Picture Show Shadowcast was performed. Like traditional shadow casts, the audience was filled with people in flamboyant costumes and had a Halloween party vibe. The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a movie starring Tim Curry, Meat Loaf, and a slew of other actors. The film has developed a cult following from people who fell in love with the bizarre plot, construction of the film, striking and entertaining features of the characters, editing, and cinematography. This live action performance is done in front of the movie itself.
Many students who worked on the performance have seen a shadow cast before and agree that the show holds a special place in their hearts. Kevin Alvarez, Stevens alumnus and the executive producer of Hoboken’s first Rocky Horror Picture Show spoke about how much it meant to him: “Rocky Horror is the ability for people to express feelings and emotion in a safe and controlled environment.” He also explained that for many students, Rocky (for short) was a place where students could “Be who they want to be.” For another student, Liz Berttoni, the ability to have the show in Hoboken was a factor in her decision to come to Stevens. “It was one of the things that actually pushed me to come to Stevens,” she explained. She added that knowing that the institution had this show led her to believe that the institution values acceptance and LGBTQ+ representation.
Moving off campus for this show has presented it with some new challenges but also provided room to grow. For one, the show used to be put on by the club Midnight Movie Movement on campus and had to use SGA funding. Now the show relies on crowdsourced funds and donors to put it on. Students and alumni donated over $3000 to help put this show on. Individual donors donated anywhere from $5 to the largest donation of $1000 to help put on the show. Members of the Stevens community see Rocky Horror as a show that they can take ownership of. This is emphasized now that the show is crowdfunded with their own money.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show left the crowd sexually confused, sexually delighted, and hysterical as the culture of what used to be Stevens’s Rocky Horror Picture Show shined as the clock struck midnight on Thursday night. As the show began and classmates began to undress our perceptions of the show, we found that under the lights of WCPR and the large screen of Hoboken Cinemas, the show has always been our Stevens’s Rocky.
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