Celebrate 50 years of ‘Rocky Horror’ at the State Theater

"The Rocky Horror Picture" show will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a film showing and party with interactive contests, character appearances and other fun at the State Theater on Tuesday, Oct. 21. TOM GILLIAM / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Credit: Tom Gilliam

Credit: Tom Gilliam

"The Rocky Horror Picture" show will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a film showing and party with interactive contests, character appearances and other fun at the State Theater on Tuesday, Oct. 21. TOM GILLIAM / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Get set to do the Time Warp again in Springfield and celebrate a very special anniversary just in time for Halloween.

One of the great cult classic musicals of all time, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” is turning the big 5-0 this year and Friends of the Springfield Arts Council (SAC) will have a special film showing and party at the State Theater at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 21, sponsored by Link-Hellmuth Insurance.

Admission is free, but donations to support the Friends of SAC will be taken; the film is R-rated for adult content and anyone under 18 should be accompanied by a responsible adult. The State Theater is located at 19 S. Fountain Ave.

After an enthusiastic reaction to the Springfield Civic Theatre production of “Rocky Horror” earlier this year, in the spirit of the Time Warp, it was decided to do it again in party style, according to Sarah McPherson of Friends of the SAC.

“We wanted to keep that momentum and excitement going. There’s a lot of ‘Rocky Horror’ fans in Springfield,” she said. “We got some real interest in doing something, and we’re excited to celebrate the excitement of ‘Rocky Horror.’”

As Springfield downtown theaters hosted “Rocky Horror” showings back in the 1980s, this is also a nod to that nostalgia. Attendees are invited to dress as their favorite characters, and there will be a costume contest, a push-up contest and interactive Time Warp.

There will be special guest appearances by some of the film’s characters by actors who did the recent production and, also in tradition, prop bags of items to go with various scenes will be sold with proceeds benefitting Friends of the SAC.

A special “Rocky Horror”-inspired cocktail will be available and the EAT food truck will be set up.

McPherson said this is a chance to experience the uniqueness of the film and the interactive fun, and hopes it can be a local fall tradition going forward.

“This is a nice kickoff to the Halloween season. Come out and relive the fun or make it a memorable first time with ‘Rocky Horror’ with us,” she said.

About the Author