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As October rolls around at Syracuse University, many students look forward to the season’s staple production: Black Box Players’ annual performance of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” Students prepare to take part in the show from the audience by throwing props at the actors, dressing in elaborate costumes and yelling at the stage.

“Rocky has been happening in some way, shape or form as a part of Black Box Players since the 90s,” said Weller Dorff, SU senior and artistic director of Black Box Players. “It’s a really important thing.”

On Friday, the cast of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” will perform at Skybarn on South Campus. The cult classic of “unconventional conventionalists” is coming to SU’s campus for the 25th time.

The production follows newly engaged couple Janet Weiss and Brad Majors. The pair is immersed in the sultry castle of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a self-proclaimed “sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania.” Through music and uncanny events, such as Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s creation of a man whom he names Rocky, the show explores experimentation with sexuality and self-expression.

“Rocky is such a fundamental part of so many young people’s lives and their exploration of themselves and their identity,” Dorff said. “Rocky has been such a staple of queer culture and broader arts culture for so long.”

For Dorff and the rest of the team, the annual showing of the “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” becomes a living conversation between generations of students, as they continue to pass down the themes of identity and belonging.

This year’s “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” director, senior James Ragen, said he hopes to shine his own light on the interpretation while also diving into the iconic elements of the movie. His direction seeks to preserve the heart of the original vision while allowing it to evolve through the voices and creativity of this year’s cast, he said.

“We continue to do our part in keeping it alive,” Ragen said.

The 1975 film plays silently on a projector behind the actors as they act and sing on stage. Even with this “shadowcast,” the cast still plays an active role in breathing life into the production and its resonance within the specific campus community, Ragen said.

Ragen’s role involves transcribing the movie to help it make sense for the stage and displaying his own creativity. He said he caters artistic choices to each person within the cast, adds Syracuse-specific references and crafts audience interaction — amplifying the mission of Black Box Players.

“(We choose) pieces that are going to speak to Syracuse and our community really directly and intimately and in a way that makes this community feel uniquely seen and represented,” Dorff said.

Students usually attend the production in large groups and plan elaborate outfits. Every year, the “antici-pation” for the musical builds up and tickets sell out almost immediately, Dorff said. This year was no different. The ticket website even crashed from so much online traction, he said.

Freshman and acting major Miller Asch was quick to grab tickets when the show was first announced. He’s said he’s seen the film before, but has never seen a live production of it, so he’s excited for Friday’s show. He and his friend, freshman Ali DeFilippo, are planning to dress as Janet and Brad. Asch will be sporting Brad’s brown jacket, while DeFilippo plans to wear Janet’s iconic white bra and skirt.

“I’m most specifically excited to see it interpreted by this director,” Asch said.“I think he’ll have a lot of interesting takes on the story. I can’t wait to see.”

Dorff and Ragen are both hoping this year’s performance brings a sense of community and fun — as it has in the past — with a new spin this year.

“Come with an open heart and an open mind,” Dorff said. “Because the really, really special thing about Rocky, especially the way that we do it here, is that it’s only ever going to exist in this way once.”

Published on October 22, 2025 at 10:46 pm