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Mary Halloran

Former publications member, Lukas Mendal and Hailey Stephens playing the roles of Brad and Janet.

It’s a Friday afternoon, you’re tired from getting up at 6 in the morning and you have work tomorrow at noon but there is a event tonight that some would not miss. The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It is a theatrical production based on the movie, that is performed by our own student body and fellow students from the graduating class 2017.

Every other week, on fridays and saturdays, the cast perform and put on a show. Gage Ratterman, senior cast member that most of the time plays the main character in the show, Rocky himself.

“When Flustered Mustard first started, I was actually the only one who wanted/could play Rocky. No one else in the cast was comfortable enough playing him being that open to the crowd, and I dyed my hair blonde for it, so I was definitely Rocky,” Ratterman said.

Now Ratterman is loving every second of being a part of Rocky Horror, and so is else who is in it. It is a carefree environment and a place where they all can be who they want to be.

“It is on a theatrical level where you have to be serious, but funny at the same time, like you are never gonna see and that is my favorite part about it,” Ratterman said.

Another person who just recently joined the cast is junior Janelle Klos. She first started to see the show because many of her friends are in it and that is the same reason she wanted to join as well.

“I started attending because in theater that’s all anyone talked about, so I was like ‘Okay, I gotta go to a show. And I was like, how have I missed this for so long?’ It is a great way to stay connected with people who already graduated,” Klos said.

Since day one, they have had almost or a complete sold out shows and one person in particular who has been to every single one is Savannah Womack. She is also friends with the cast and now doesn’t regret going at all.

“I went for the first time on June 23rd and to be honest it was not at all what I was expecting,” Womack said. “A large part of why I loved the first night was because I knew every one who was performing.”

Besides people going and joining for a social gathering, Womack goes because it is different from most places teenagers hang out.

“During the show, people shout out lines that play off of the movie. They’re called callbacks. It’s like responding to whatever the actor says and they make the show hilarious. Once you learn those lines and are able to call them out it becomes that much more fun,” Womack said.

The first time you go, you will be marked as a virgin. It indicates it is the first time you are going to see the production. You could also be marked as a ultra virgin, which says that you haven’t seen the production or the movie. The point of all of this is a fun little game before the show starts, then after is when the show really begins.

“You’ll have people crawling over you, you might get sprayed with water, you’ll shout things out, there’s so many reasons to go, but you have to experience it for yourself. And you’ll make friends there, you can go up to anyone and start talking to them and they’ll find nothing weird about it at all. Hopefully, you’re comfortable with actors and audience members walking around in lingerie though,” Womack said.

What is great about The Rocky Horror Picture Show, according to Ratterman, it boosts up a lot of the confidence of the cast, they feel they can be themselves and not have to worry about if anyone’s judging them or making fun of them because everyone is there to have fun.

“I have definitely grown more confident, because I feel like if you mess up it is not a big deal and nobody ever yells at you for doing anything wrong, it’s all just fun,” Ratterman said.

Another person who agrees that it is a confidence booster is Klos, she sees it as a place where not everyone from school is there and it is a new audience a lot of the nights. Which is good for those who have nerves performing.

“This boost up all the casts confidence because not everyone from central goes to see it, so they have that mindset where they don’t know anyone and they will never see them again, I can do whatever,” Klos said.

Even the audience members feel they can be themselves as well, overtime more audience members have started to dress up along with the cast and got more involved with the show as a whole.

“Going to these shows and looking at people of so many shapes and sizes wearing lingerie and tight or short clothes has shown me and many other audience members how to love ourselves no matter what,” Womack said.