Racheal - Production Date: 10 September, 2004
- Production Company: Able Productions, Brisbane
- My Role: Janet Weiss
I have always been a fan of the 1975 film, Rocky Horror Picture Show, so when I heard Able Productions were holding auditions for Floor Show performers, I jumped at the chance to go for the role of Magenta. As it turned out however, they already had someone for that role and I ended up being cast in the role of Janet which was equally exciting as I never thought I’d get to do that role!
If you’ve never seen a Floor Show before (especially a Rocky Horror one), it’s a completely different atmosphere to attending a standard theatre show or movie screening. The film plays on the big screen, whilst the actors perform the film exactly the same, but live on stage in front of the big screen, and audience participation, props and heckles are encouraged. There is actually a full audience participation script out there which I found at the time.
This production was a massive hit held at the QUT Gardens Theatre with a sell-out audience, and it was my first time working with (now) long-time friends, Kristian Fletcher and Crystal Arons. The show was apparently also filmed, but despite attempts at trying to locate a copy after the show, I never saw it. I did only manage to get a couple of photos which I’ve added here.
My biggest memory of this one-night only show was the scene between Janet, Rocky (Matthew Fooks) and Frank n Furter (Jesse Parkes). Just before Janet sings “Touch Me” she rips part of her slip to use as a bandage on Rocky. I remember buying a second-hand slip skirt to use and had put some cuts in it with the hopes of being able to rip it on the night (as it only had to last one night). However, when it came to the scene, I couldn’t rip the slip at all, so ended up taking off the whole skirt and used it instead, yet again ending up on stage half naked in my underwear (much to the audience’s delight). Frank n Furter then enters the scene and ends up chasing Janet around – for this I ended up running around the audience in the stalls, until Frank finally catches up to me back on stage. I didn’t realise at the time, but my boobs had fallen out of my bra during the run around, and so Jesse stands in front of me and pulls my bra up to put my boobs back in. It was quite hilarious, and probably a good thing I never saw the video recording!
CAST: Jesse Parkes, Kristian Fletcher, Vanessa Moltzen, Robyn Anderson, Dannielle Kray, Jason McKell, Matthew Fooks, Gary Kliger, Corren Haddad, Belinda Beale, Katrina Burton, Shona Butler, Mirey Faema, Rebecca O’Neill, Sam Wessel, Sarah McNeill
CREW: Kristian Fletcher (Producer), Crystal Arons (Director), Shona Butler (Choreographer), Tristan Harris (Make-Up), Michelle Padget, Edla Ward, Shellie Ward, Lindsay Rose, Fiona Smith, Jess Stiller, Brenda Reardon.
