Rocky Horror returns at Halloween

Hamilton, Ohio – The milestones pile up after half a century.

As The Rocky Horror Picture Show celebrates its 50^th anniversary this fall, Missy Stricklett celebrates her 25^th anniversary with The Denton Affair, the Cincinnati-based shadow-cast troupe bringing the movie off the screen and into three dimensions.

The Fitton Center for Creative Arts fans the flames of freakish depravity, offering its annual descent into movie madness with a 10 p.m. screening of the cultiest cult classic Halloween Night, Friday, October 31.

For Stricklett – best known for playing the characters of Magenta and Dr. Scott – this year’s screening is an opportunity to work behind the scenes. One of four coordinators for The Denton Affair, her responsibilities include booking performances and promoting the shows.

She’ll also be selling survival kits ($5 each) and Denton Affair merchandise in the lobby before the screening. Survival kits include all the props guests will need to fully immerse themselves in the interactive experience.

What can viewers expect? Well, let’s just say Rocky Horror is a musical, but it ain’t exactly The Sound of Music. Which is precisely what Stricklett liked about it when a friend took her to see for the first time at age 15.

“I’ve never laughed so hard in my life,” she said. “It was like nothing I’d ever seen before. People yelling at a movie? People dressed up in the audience and on stage? Dancing in the aisles? It was wild. I had to be a part of it.”

A quarter century into her run with The Denton Affair, Stricklett has some none-too-subtle thoughts about how to best enjoy the show.

“I would mostly give the advice to take the stick out of your ass,” she said. “The movie is about transvestite aliens, for crying out loud. Don’t take it too seriously. Prepare to give yourself over to absolute pleasure and just have a good time.

“It’s not very PC. You can come and yell profanities at the screen. Sometimes that’s just a good release. You can’t really do that at work, can you?”

Stricklett said one of the long-lasting appeals of the movie – as well as her 25 years with The Denton Affair– is its inclusivity.

“I think part of it is just acceptance,” she said. “Everybody is welcome. For all the weird kids, the queer kids, the nerdy kids in high school who didn’t have a home, they can have a home here. We build community. I’ve made great friends through Rocky. It’s awesome.”

The Denton Affair – one of oldest shadow-cast troupes in the nation, founded in 1979 – recently celebrated another milestone, becoming an official 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

“For us, it means more opportunities,” Stricklett said. “We can get grants, make more appearances, spread the community a little further.”

Tickets to The Rocky Horror Picture Show are $12 for Fitton Center members, $14 for non-members, and are available online right here, by phone at 513-863-8873, ext. 110 or in person at the Fitton Center box office. In addition to The Denton Affair’s survival kits, there will be a cash bar and popcorn available for purchase.

The Fitton Center for Creative Arts is located at 101 S. Monument Avenue on the Riverfront in downtown Hamilton, Ohio.

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