'Rocky Horror Picture Show' at Rome's Capitol Arts Complex: What to know before you go

Ready to do the "Time Warp" again? Capitol Arts Complex will screen "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" at their movie theater Cinema Capitol in Rome.

The theater will screen the 1975 cult classic at 8 p.m. Saturday Oct. 8 and Oct. 15, complete with prop kits and audience participation. For all you uninitiated Brads and Janets, here's what you need to know:

• When: 8 p.m. Oct. 8 and Oct. 15

• Where: Cinema Capitol, 230 West Dominick St., Rome

• Admission: $12 general admission; $19 to include a prop kit (available online)

What is 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show'?

Adapted from the stage play "The Rocky Horror Show," the film premiered in the United States in September 1975, starring Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick and the late Meat Loaf. The R-rated film tells the story of sweethearts Brad Majors and Janet Weiss after a flat tire during a storm leads to an overnight at the strange mansion of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, who's been in the process of making a man (with blond hair and a tan).

It wouldn't be until the following year that "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" started being rereleased at midnight showings, and audience members started talking back and yelling at the screen, according to RHPS's official fan site. In April 1977, the first props were introduced.

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Props? What props?

Audience participation in RHPS showings includes not just dressing up as your favorite character or shouting when Brad Majors is introduced, but also using props at specific cues during the film. Keep in mind some venues may have rules about what you can or cannot bring or use (such as water pistols or food items). Prop kits at Cinema Capitol will also be available to purchase at $6 a piece.

How the props are used can be found on the RHPS fan site, but example props include:

• Rice (preferably uncooked)

• Water pistols

• Newspapers (in case you get wet)

• Flashlights

• Rubber gloves

• Noisemakers and confetti

• Toast (preferably unbuttered)

• Party hats

• Playing cards

A word for the uninitiated

The term virgin is often used to describe those who haven't seen a screening of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" in theaters, and who might be unfamiliar with the costumes, props and audience participation.

Some showings may even include a "ritual" for the uninitiated, but it's usually harmless.

In fact, it just might give you a shiver of antici-

-pation.

H. Rose Schneider covers public safety, breaking and trending news for the Observer-Dispatch in Utica. Email Rose at hschneider@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Where to see 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' this October in Rome, NY