Rocky Horror
It’s been almost nine months since the Satanic Mechanics Theatre Company last performed, but the company’s presence clearly was missed. The line for the show was snaking down from the doors of the Hoff Theater and around the food court, wrapping around the stairs and ending around Taco Bell.
Audience members were asked the standard question: “Are you a virgin?”
On a campus as progressive as this one, it’s not a question that’s unheard of. There were, however, quite a few individuals who didn’t expect to be asked that so bluntly as they waited in line for the Satanic Mechanics’ production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show on Saturday night. Those who frequent the Satanic Mechanics’ productions were quick to clarify, “Have you been here before?” to those who seemed baffled. When midnight rolled around, there were quite a few of the trademark lipstick “V”s marking newcomers’ faces.
Though some students were concerned that there wouldn’t be enough seats, Rocky Horror veterans and Satanic Mechanics alumni assured people that the 550-seat theater.
For almost 20 years, the Satanic Mechanics Theatre Company has given performances unlike any other on the campus: The group produces several “shadowcastings” of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and other cult films, acting out the events of the movie on the stage with props and costumes while the film is projected behind them. The Satanic Mechanics, which draw their name from a lyric in Rocky Horror, have been known for their community of unconventional actors, tech crew and hype team that gets everyone in line excited for the show.
Though many in the university community were saddened by the group’s temporary disappearance, the time away from performing gave the group time for reflection.
Teressa Ferraro, a senior Russian and Spanish major who has became the group’s producer last school year, explained that the time away was a result of a rapid culture change that rattled the group last semester.
“We decided it was for the best if we took a brief hiatus,” she said.
However, for Ferraro and many of the returning members, having the group come back was important.
“SM made me who I am today,” Ferraro said. “It gave me the close, caring family environment that I needed at college, and I hated the idea of not having that.”
“Last semester felt like it was missing something,” said sophomore English and literature major Jessica Thwaite, who served as an assistant stage manager for Saturday’s production.
Ferraro said that during the time away, the members looked at how the campus and the group changed in the past 20 years, and what that means going forward. She said the hiatus allowed her to meet with alumni and refocus the group’s vision.
“In a lot of ways, we’re going back to our roots,“ Ferraro said. “We’re a lot smaller, and there’s so much more energy.”
Ferraro said the Satanic Mechanics community fulfills an important niche on the campus.
“For a long time, we’ve been the group that people go to when they don’t fit in with other groups,” Ferraro said. “The main undercurrent is that we are too weird for where we’d be otherwise.”
The welcoming environment is one of the best parts of the group, especially for students new to the university, Thwaite said.
“When you’re still figuring out who you want to be, it’s not a place where people will say ‘That’s not a good answer,’” she said. “They’ll say, ‘We respect that.’”
Thwaite noted that the diversity of the group is one of the most interesting factors, as members of the Satanic Mechanics come from a variety of backgrounds.
Though The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a unique rallying point for members of the Satanic Mechanics, it is not the main factor that brings the group together.
“It wasn’t so much the movie but a fascination with the culture,” said Noah Landau, a recent university alumnus who has been a part of the group since 2008 and now works as a “gardener” to help acclimatize new members to the community. “I didn’t expect it to suck me in entirely.”
Landau said Satanic Mechanics represents an opportunity for people to work toward a common goal, despite personal differences.
“SM culture in general has an attitude of focusing on what’s important and getting stuff done, rather than interpersonal issues that would get in the way,” Landau said.
For Ferraro, the most interesting part of The Rocky Horror Picture Show is that it doesn’t take itself seriously, which allows Satanic Mechanics members to be themselves.
“The whole point of Rocky is that you can be really irreverent about everything,” she said.
With the audience filling all but the back two rows of the Hoff Theater, it seems that the irreverence has struck a chord with both Rocky Horro virgins and veterans on the campus. The Satanic Mechanics are eager to return with new goals and bring the Rocky Horror experience to the campus once again.
“We’re back to the basics, and that’s where we’re excited to be again,” Ferraro said.
