Rocky Horror Picture Show

Working on a production of Rocky Horror with a shadow cast requires attention to detail, as the costumes must be reminiscent of the original cast. Below are the costumes utilized for the production of Rocky Horror, showcasing iconic looks from each character.

Rocky Horror Picture Show is a cult-classic film, typically shown with a live shadow cast, a tradition started in 1977 and continues to this date. The Film is known for its music, costumes, and out-of-this-world characters. It’s whimsical, gothic, and raunchy; it still inspires queer and POC communities even after it’s release in 1975.

When I’ve seen live shadow casts of Rocky Horror Picture Show, I always noticed how similar the costumes look to the original film and how most of the costumes are handmade by the actors who wear them. With this in mind, my concept focused on the handmade attention to detail of the original film, despite being on a small budget. Many of the items worn throughout the production were existing clothes from friends’ closets, embellished items found thrifting or from halloween stores, and items that were handmade to replicate the costumes from the film. I aimed to recreate the gothic and whimsical costumes, while also keeping in mind practicalities, like having little to no room for quick changes and the absence of an actor to play Rocky. For this production, we chose to use a puppet to portray rocky, as we had no actor to play him. We created a puppet-sized costume for him to wear, as one of the actors was tasked to man the puppet (typically the actor who played Janet).

The handmade, and at times, kitschy, costume design pays homage to the decades of amateur replications of the same costumes, typically created with small budgets.