Xanna Prentice lost her virginity to “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” in a small independent movie theater in Tallahassee. At 15 or 16 years old, she witnessed the raunchy and risque adaptation of the 1975 cult-classic film, three rows down from her history teacher.
Flash forward more than a decade, Prentice is now 33 and co-directs the fall and and summer strings of “Rocky Horror” shows in Gainesville. Twelve years after its local debut at the since-closed arts venue High Dive, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” is back for its yearly fall run.
From Oct. 1 to Nov. 4, the shadowcast production is performing six dates at The Wooly after what Prentice deemed the troupe's most successful season yet this past summer. Prentice, the sole remaining member of the original High Dive troupe, Best Little Rocky Horror in FL — formally known as Frankie and The Pretenders — has participated in the production since its 2013 inception.
Having portrayed the characters of Janet, Rocky, Magenta and Riff Raff, Prentice now calls herself the “cult leader” of the play as co-director. She feels “Rocky Horror” is meant for those who feel left out of the standard theatrical experience.
“I kind of hold the space for what it is, which is somewhat of an avant garde, radical DIY theater production,” she said.
In High Dive’s early days, concerts were not lucrative enough to keep the venue solidly afloat. An employee suggested High Dive incorporate annual showings of “Rocky Horror” shadowcast productions. The rest is history.
“I thought, ‘We have nothing left to lose, why not?’” said Pat Lavery, the producer of “Rocky Horror” and the former owner of High Dive.
After a highly successful premiere showing in 2013, High Dive added more dates every year until “Rocky Horror” became a weekly event for the entire month of October. It also added a summer run of shows to support itself through an otherwise mundane Gainesville summer when it struggled to pay the bills, Lavery said.
In the summer of 2024, High Dive was sold to an out-of-town developer, and the landlord forced Lavery and his staff to pack up in 30 days after hosting live events for 13 years. “Rocky Horror” was not about to meet its end with the venue, however, and another local hot spot welcomed the production with open arms.
“The Wooly seemed like the most logical fit for our shows, as it's a similar-sized space with great production and a central location in the heart of downtown,” Lavery said.
Nearly 40 seasoned veterans and virgins alike were lined up outside The Wooly when doors opened on Oct. 9 for the second show of the season.
When those who had never seen the production — “virgins” — entered the building, they were branded with a “V” on their forehead, chest, cheek or elsewhere with red lipstick.
Around half of the attendees were first-timers and anxiously awaited the embarrassment to come. “Rocky Horror” shows commence with a round of games meant for newcomers to warm up to the raunchy antics of the sexually suggestive show.
Sporting corsets and stockings (and not much else), the cast interacted with the audience, running through aisles, jumping on the bar and feeding off the dirty quips and callbacks essential to the show.
But the sexual themes of “Rocky Horror” haven’t always been so accepted.
Garret Pogue, who choreographed the production and plays Columbia, said the show was once taboo.
When she first began performing for “Rocky Horror” more than a decade ago, the public’s response to the production was negative. Now, it’s a celebration, where the cast and audience can feel safe to be themselves.
“People find themselves at ‘Rocky Horror,’” she said. “We recognize ourselves in the audience. Just because we're up on the stage performing doesn't mean we're any different than the young girl who's just trying to figure out her sexuality.”
Their production of “Rocky Horror” is done with a shadow cast, where actors act along with a film being played behind them. The audience is encouraged to interact with the cast, shouting and challenging them.
It’s tradition for audiences to call Janet, a timid and innocent all-American girl, “slut” when her name is said in the film. Emma Grimm portrayed Janet at The Wooly’s production on Thursday night, but it wasn’t her first role in the play. She began her “Rocky Horror” journey portraying Rocky, Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s muscly and manly creation.
The 29-year-old spent two years in Los Angeles performing for one of the longest running shadowcast productions of “Rocky Horror.” It puts on shows at Landmark Nuart Theatre every Saturday night year round.
Despite the scale of Los Angeles’ performances, Grimm said she feels Gainesville’s production is superior.
“The people coming in to do this, as opposed to LA, are doing it strictly for the love of it,” she said. “Whereas elsewhere, you might be getting paid more, you might be getting more exposure. But here, it really is a passion project for a lot of us.”
Fifty years after the film’s release, the queer representation is as timeless as the cult-classic itself.
“It is really special to realize that it's been that long since this movie came out and there's still so many relevant themes of identity and sexuality,” Grimm said.
Contact Isabel Kraby at ikraby@alligator.org. Follow her on X @isabelgkraby.
Isabel is a general assignment reporter for The Avenue and is starting her first semester with The Alligator. She is a junior journalism student and transferred to UF from Daytona State College after her freshman year. When she's not writing for Ave, she loves going to concerts, crocheting and designing spreads for Rowdy Magazine.
