Eighteen and older only, props in a bag, and a costume contest before the lights even go down — Richey Suncoast Theatre’s non-profit stage runs The Rocky Horror Picture Show with a live shadow cast for six performances this month, three of them this week.
This week’s shows: Friday, Oct. 16 at 8 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 17 at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 18 at 5 p.m. (the run continues the following weekend, Oct. 23-25, with an ASL-interpreted performance added Oct. 23). Director Jess Glass’s shadow cast performs live in front of the film, and most tickets include a prop bag so the audience can throw along rather than just watch. No outside props, weapons, or alcohol — bag checks happen at the door.
The age restriction isn’t the theater being precious about it: Florida law on adult live performances makes it a hard 18-and-over policy with no exceptions for parents bringing a minor, which the theater states plainly rather than burying in fine print. A costume contest runs before each individual screening, not just one night of the run, so first-timers showing up any of the three nights this week still get a shot at it.
It’s genuinely one of the more theatrical things happening in Pasco County this particular week — a non-profit community theater running a full shadow-cast production rather than a plain screening, which is a heavier lift than most venues bother with for a single film.
If a Friday or Saturday night downtown sounds good but Rocky Horror isn’t your thing, the rest of this week’s Pasco County lineup is here.
Good to know: 6237 Grand Blvd, New Port Richey, FL 34652. Fri Oct. 16 & Sat Oct. 17 at 8 p.m., Sun Oct. 18 at 5 p.m. Adults only (18+). Box office: (727) 842-6777.
Photo: a theater stage curtain, representative image (not the actual production), via Rawpixel, licensed CC0.