Daily Editor Nikita Nambiar sat down with Anne Sappenfield (BC ‘25)  and August Mars Lange (BC ‘25), the directors of an upcoming shadow cast production of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, which will take place this Monday and Tuesday. 

There’s something sinister going around campus. It’s not a virus, but it really should be viral…  It’s the Rocky Horror Picture Show. 

Rocky Horror is the perfect amalgamation of queer liberation, mystery, sex, and a sizable helping of science. The iconic 1975 film, directed by Jim Sharman and based on the stage musical created by Richard O’Brien, defies categorization, blending elements of science fiction, horror, and musical comedy into a surreal and electrifying experience. The story follows Brad and Janet, an innocent young couple who stumble upon the bizarre and enchanting world of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a mad scientist and “sweet transvestite” from Transylvania. As they navigate the seductive and eccentric residents of Frank-N-Furter’s castle, including a muscle-bound creation named Rocky, audiences are taken on a wild and unforgettable ride. Featuring unforgettable musical numbers like “Time Warp,” Rocky Horror Picture Show has become a beloved midnight movie phenomenon, known for its passionate fan base, raucous audience participation, and an enduring celebration of self-expression, sexuality, and the delightfully strange. It’s a timeless celebration of the weird and wonderful, a joyful exploration of sexual liberation, and a cinematic experience that continues to thrill and amuse audiences around the world. Don’t dream it, be it!

I had heard musings of Rocky being performed by a small collective of friends. Just another club event, I thought. Then I saw an Instagram story requesting students interested in shimmying and shaking to join a student-led production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. What set this group apart was that it wasn’t a recognized club; it was more like a group of friends who had banded together to put on a show. Two friends in particular, Anne Sappenfield and August, spearheaded the production.

August and Anne are both juniors at Barnard college. According to them, they like to climb, cut class, lay in the sun, have business meetings late into the night, do cartwheels, listen to Adrienne Lenker, dance, and direct, act in, and produce the Rocky Horror Picture Show. They cast Rocky from a group of their college friends in April, and thanks to a lot of talent and effort from this group of people, their vision has become a reality. 

After seeing the advertisement on Instagram, I needed to pick their brains about Rocky…so I reached out to August and Anne. Last week, we sat down in Futter field and chatted about the process of putting together a shadow cast musical and their expectations before the big performance.

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Bwog: Why did you guys decide to do this?

Anne: I love Rocky! I’m a big fan of the Rocky Horror Picture Show: I saw it for the first time when I was 18, on a plane, and I thought… this is so gay. That made me feel really good. I think it’s cool that it was made a really long time ago, and every time I rewatch it I find new things to love about it. (Their passion is clear.)The aesthetics are incredible, the characters are so funny, the plot is outrageous. There’s a really good reason it has the cult following it has. It literally gives me life: the soundtrack is my safe space.

August’s story is similar: At 18, he too saw the show as a “young spritely fella making a name for himself in California.” A shadow cast performance made him realize he was determined to put on the show himself.

Anne: The night we met, we essentially made this plan.

August: And it stuck… which was shocking!

This was last spring. Over the course of this summer break, their cogs were collectively turning and planning for their show began.

Bwog: Was it hard to find people to be a part of this since you guys are just… two dudes?

August: The cast is objectively just friends who were cast this year.

Anne: We sat down over dinner and thought, who do we know here in this city, this summer, who would possibly be interested in doing this? We then went through every role and cast our friends based on who we thought could encapsulate the essence of the characters. Then we asked them.

August: And a majority of them said yes… I don’t think anyone actually said no to us.

Anne: Bottom line, we have the best cast ever.

• 

Bwog: Okay, I need to know, was there anything you guys struggled with?

Anne: Challenges we faced were that we have no funding and no rehearsal space so, we’ve just kinda been rehearsing wherever we can. This could be the lobby in front of the GMT or just empty classrooms when we can get them. We’ve just had to be on a tight budget which has been a challenge. (Pause.) None of the actors have ever acted, or really danced before. And neither of us have directed before.

August : But you could argue that’s the best part.

Anne: There are some obvious initial challenges that arose because of that. I think though, because everyone was new to this process, the lack of prior assumption about the way things should work took away a lot of the pressure associated with performance culture.

Anne and August wear many hats. They’re directors but also actors, producers, wardrobe and costume managers, stage managers… the list is endless. They do have help, though: they split their team of friends to assist with choreographing the musical numbers, and in September they had more of their friends come along to help with stage management.

Bwog: How did your friends help with the process?

August: Once the stage managers joined–

Anne: They saved our ASSES.

August: Somehow we hadn’t considered that a musical would require choreo…

Anne: Yeah, we were just in the mindset of you do whatever’s on the screen… you do a little bit of this, you do a little bit of that.

August: Then we realized that’s not directing. That’s called vibing out.

Mid-interview, the two of them broke out into song: we time warped. We took a slide to the left, and then a jump… right back into discussing their goals for the future.

Anne: We hope to put on Rocky again next year.

August: Honestly, we’re perfect though.

Anne: We really are perfect.

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On this note, we ended our interview. On Monday and Tuesday, the curtain will rise and the audience will become part of the experience, and we will see what the future holds for this take on the show. In a world where adaptations often tread the beaten path, August and Anne’s rendition of The Rocky Horror Picture Show promises to be a delightful blend of homage to the original and an injection of their distinctive creativity. The show’s journey, much like the original film itself, is filled with laughter, surprises, and an unapologetic celebration of life’s quirks and curiosities. Those of us eagerly awaiting the performance can’t help but look forward to more acts of rebellion, liberation, and self-expression on the horizon. The “Time Warp” may be a jump to the left, but it’s also a step forward into a future where the spirit of Rocky continues to thrive.

August and Anne told Bwog, “Please come see our show! Yell things at us!”

To take them up on this offer, go watch the show this coming Monday or Tuesday. The show on October 30th is at 10:30 pm in Dodge 501. On the 31st there are two showings, one at 9 pm and another at midnight—both showings will be on the second floor of ADP. To watch this shadow cast performance of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, just show up at the locations of the showings at the appropriate time and in costume, if your heart so desires! 

Images via Ana Sofia Harrison