Inside the auditions for 16th Rocky Horror Picture Show

Melody Carey (right) auditions with a 60-second lip sync routine for Amanda Doolittle (left), Nicky Meindel (second from left), and Kat Brown (third from left). Brown said she wore a hotdog costume to put students at ease during the auditions. Photo by KALI HOFFMAN, Photo Editor

The Halloween season has begun at Chapman and auditions for The Rocky Horror Picture Show took place Sept. 4 through 6. This staple performance has occurred every fall for the last 15 years, and will return to campus for a two-weekend run Oct. 25 and 26 and Nov.1 and 2. 

Many of the actors and actresses who participate in the show come back every year for more. Carley Gaedke, a junior public relations and advertising major, has been acting in the show since her freshman year at Chapman. She has also performed in other productions with the Players’ Society and is the group’s public relations & advertising chair. 

Gaedke was touring campus as a high school senior when she saw a poster about the show that caught her attention. As a freshman, she participated by playing a Transylvanian. As a sophomore, she played Rocky. This year, Gaedke will be playing the part of Dr. Frank-N-Furter. She described auditioning for the production as “always exciting, and overall fun.” 

“We like to make (auditions) relaxed. It’s all about showing your energy and your personality.” The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a 1975 musical, horror and comedy movie. It has been labeled as a cult film and is the longest-running theatrical release in history. 

Addie Bass, a junior psychology major, who has acted in Rocky Horror in previous years, said audiences can expect “aliens, a mansion, murder, sex, dancing, and glitter” from the show. Gaedke further described it as “a science-fiction musical for weirdos by weirdos. It’s all about finding yourself and not being held back by expectations.” Gaedke’s favorite part about the show is that the people involved bring something new and different to the show every year. 

“Rocky Horror is about “fun, self-expression, and liberation,” she said. One reason this show continues to be done every year is that “a lot of people come to feel that liberation, and to explore themselves, and discover something new about themselves.” 

Assistant director Kat Brown, a junior economics major, said that the part of production she is most excited for is inducting new people. Brown herself has acted in the show before and is excited to help other new members “come into their own.” 

“Our club is all about finding the joy in life and in theatre, and Rocky Horror does a lot of those same things,” Gaedke said.