A particular style of alternative theatre is something that a lot of people might not even know about. It’s definitely something a little strange, but it is a means of performing, and I think it definitely falls under the umbrella of alternative theatre. It takes talent, imagination, and, admittedly, a very different skill set than traditional acting. I think that’s something that makes it extra cool. I’m talking about shadow casting.
For those who aren’t familiar with shadow casting, it’s basically the act of acting out a movie in front of a showing of the movie. It started with the cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show. So basically, you have actors in full costume, with set pieces and props to varying degrees, and they’ll be performing the entire movie along with the movie. It’s actually something super cool, and super fun to watch. It’s a very different theatre experience, but I think it’s still a theatre experience. These people are still acting, without actually talking and singing, and with having to stay completely in synch with something going on behind them.
That’s a big part of what I mean by different skill set than traditional acting. It’s very true that, while on stage, you have to pay attention to everything. There are things going on all around you. There are other actors, set pieces, props, costumes, and a million other things to worry about. With shadow casting, you have all of that, plus a (usually) well known movie going on behind you that you need to be in time with. You need to do what your character does. If you’re not totally in with your character, you’re not doing your job.
As mentioned before, shadow casting started with The Rocky Horror Picture Show (hereby called RHPS). RHPS sort of transcended a lot. It did start as a stage show, but didn’t get it’s real start before the movie. Even then, it’s only ever really been a cult classic. But it’s certainly paved the way for other cult classics, and since then, many other movies have adopted the idea of having a shadow cast. People get super into this, which is really quite cool. There’s something really amazing about the experience.
I’ve seen RHPS with a shadow cast a handful of times. I’ve also seen Repo! The Genetic Opera with a shadow cast a couple of times. As both an actor and a lover of cult and alternative things, I definitely believe this to be a form of theatre. I’ve watched shadow casts with just as much reverence as I watch a play. These are actors up there. And while, maybe, some of them have day jobs, some of them act in regular plays or with more traditional theatre troops. I have a friend whose theatre company did a shadow cast of Hocus Pocus, and one of the actors I saw in a Repo! shadow cast was an opera singer just like the character she played along with.
Would people fight me on the validity of shadow casts being theatre? I’m sure they would. But as I’ve posted about before, there are lots of types of alternative theatre. Sometimes we really do need to think outside the box. But if someone is performing for you in this way, they’re still performing for you. You’re still experiencing a show, even if it’s in a different form than something more traditional. You can’t take away from these actors what they’re doing. The way they pour their heart into these roles just as they would if they were playing them without a movie on behind them. It’s just an additional perspective to the whole thing.
And these people love what they’re doing. Lots of the time, they’re doing this for little or no money. It’s just a sort of hobby for them. I had a friend in college who would play Jesus in a shadow cast of Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical (only one musical number) just because he looked like Jesus and had fun doing it. He wasn’t getting paid, he just enjoyed being a part of it, especially a part that would probably be pretty hard to cast. I met a Magenta in RHPS who wore a wig, just because she wanted to play that particular part.
I’ve always wanted to be in a shadow cast of a show (though I did get to be on stage for a RHPS one moment after winning the virgin contest). I think it would be fun, and a massive challenge. When I was younger, I definitely dreamed of playing Magenta in RHPS (when my hair is long, it looks a lot like her’s does). I can’t say if Magenta is a dream role any longer (I think I’d probably prefer Columbia these days), but I still think it would be super cool to act in a shadow cast. I imagine it would probably put all my acting skills to the test, along with the added element of mirroring everything going on on a screen behind me. Maybe someday I’ll get to be a part of something. It would be an honor to be a part of such a time honored alternative theatre tradition.
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