Despite there being dark storm clouds – heavy, black and pendulous – looming over the skies of Elon University on the nights of Nov. 23-25, students were not going to let a little cold rain spoil their chances of attending “The Rocky Horror Show,” presented as the music theater majors’ Senior Class Seminar. Indeed, students were waiting in line for up to two hours before the house opened, hoping to snag one of the Black Box Theatre’s limited seats.
Planning for the production began last spring when the music theater Class of 2014 met to discuss their traditional capstone project, meant to be a cumulative showcase of their training and talents. As in recent years, the group opted to produce and perform a full-length musical.
Senior Katie Zanca, director of “Rocky Horror,” believes her class chose the cult classic because its characters are somewhat representative of the group’s eccentric spirit.
“We have a reputation within the rest of the department as being a bit out there, a little crazy and kooky,” Zanca said. “We’re just a little different and not afraid to be the different ones. Also the rock-style score was something that really appealed to several of my classmates.
The show was also realistic on the seniors’ limited budget and achievable within the Black Box’s restricted space. The class was responsible for raising the production funds themselves as well as handling nearly all technical aspects.
To help pay for the production and pay to host casting agents later this year, the seniors sold “audience participation bags” at the entrance along with concessions. The bags held the traditional “Rocky Horror” props intended to aid theatergoers throughout their strange journey. These included toilet paper, rubber gloves, a water gun and consequently a protective sheet of newspaper.
The musical was practical on a monetary level because, according to Zanca, “Rocky Horror” is done best in a minimal, kitschy fashion. The show’s creator, Richard O’Brian’s, 1973 version of “The Rocky Horror Show” originally ran on a limited budget in minor theaters and vacant cinemas throughout London.
“It’s never done well as a professionally-staged show in the United States,” Zanca said. “The production team wanted to make sure ours was simpler and held on to that in-your-face rawness. I never wanted the show to take itself too seriously.”
The script was also ideal for a multi-actor showcase of talents, as the show has no overly dominating roles. When auditioning, all seniors knew they were guaranteed a part and sang pieces meant for the characters for which they felt best suited. Then things became a bit more collaborative.
“After that, we all had a class audition process where everyone went around in a circle in attempts to ‘seduce’ one another to get into the sexual spirit of the show,” said senior Critter Manley, who played Riff-Raff.
While this activity was representative of “Rocky Horror’s” motif of sexual awakening, it was also a means to observe how actors interacted with one another.
“This is really an ensemble show,” Zanca said. “I wanted to see how they began to feed off each other’s energy. It was an audition, but in a way it was also the start of the rehearsal process.”
Looking back, Zanca feels this Senior Seminar is a true expression of how far the music theater Class of 2014 has progressed over their fours years of training at Elon.
“I couldn’t imagine us doing a show on this level freshman year,” Zanca said. “We’ve truly gone through a transformation together and so much more. These are probably the most intimate group of friends I will ever have. They are the people who will be in my wedding and hold my baby after it’s born. I owe that to Elon.”
Zanca also observed at Elon an environment of nourishment for actors she believes is rare within the performing arts.
“It’s a cutthroat industry, but as students, we are each other’s biggest cheerleaders, and that atmosphere was here long before my class arrived at Elon,” Zanca said. “We realized as freshmen that’s how things were going to be and it’s made me a better person today. I hope the freshmen this year continue to observe that behavior.”