20 Cent Fiction, one of two theater companies at UMass Dartmouth, will celebrate 30 years of Rocky Horror Picture Show performances with a run starting Thursday, Oct. 26. 

A special anniversary requires a special performance: Not only will 20 Cent invite alumni back for the Friday night performance, but the cast is going bigger and broader than ever. 

“I’m a very dramatic person, I like to go bigger,” said director Courtney Sullivan. “I don’t want people too distracted by the film — the actors are right there.”

“Part of the reason we’re making it so big, is like, this is the 30th,” said Emerson DiSalle, who will play the role of Janet, and serves as the vice president of 20 Cent Fiction. “This is like a big year for Rocky and for 20 Cent, so [we’re] just making everything bigger, with more attitude to it.”

The annual performance is a traditional “shadowcast” show, meaning the actors perform on stage while the movie plays on a projector behind them. Actors lip sync to the performance, while also interacting with moving set-pieces on stage. 

The cast also stages callouts from the audience throughout the film. “Transylvanians,” extra cast members in the show, run around the theater and shout crass one-liners at the screen, lampooning the dialogue and plot. 

The cult classic movie musical remains somewhat transgressive, featuring scantily clad performers, a self-proclaimed “transvestite” lead character and a campy, flamboyant aesthetic. 

Those elements are part of the show’s draw. 

“Theater itself has really helped me overcome anxiety and gain confidence, and Rocky is at the top of that,” DiSalle said. “Half the show, I’m half naked, so you kind of have to have that confidence.” 

Rocky Horror is literally why 20 Cent Fiction exists, Sullivan explained, as the company split off from the UMass Dartmouth Theatre Company to do Rocky and shows like it. 

“We’re weird, that’s why we’re different from the acting company, we’re the weird ones,” Sullivan said. 

20 Cent’s performances of Rocky over the years are what inspired Sullivan to come to the school in the first place. 

“For me I really like Rocky because the main character is allowed to be a trans person, and I didn’t see a lot of trans people in media as a child,” Sullivan said. 

Dr. Frank-N-Furter, who acts as a master of ceremonies throughout the show, will be portrayed by Anjaliyah Echemendia, 20 Cent Fiction’s president. 

Since starting in the club as a sophomore, Echemendia has been climbing up the Rocky Horror cast list, moving from Magenta, to Columbia and finally to Frank. Rocky is a “safe place” for many in the club, Echemendia said, because there’s a strong community aspect and roles for most people. 

“I think Rocky is a great gateway into 20 Cent, because this is our staple,” Echemendia said. “I think the fun of doing it every year, it gives a chance for new people to come in and try out different roles … each character has different personalities.”

“It’s kind of cool to just have this whole community around you that you can be super comfortable with and be absolutely ridiculous with,” DiSalle said.

The history of 20 Cent’s Rocky Horror carries a bit of extra weight for DiSalle, whose mom played the role of Janet back when she was a student at UMass Dartmouth. Kristi will reprise the role for Friday’s alumni show. 

“It’s kind of crazy that we’ve been doing it for 30 years,” DiSalle said. “It points out how many people have had an impact on 20 Cent, how many people have done this show.”

See “Rocky Horror Picture Show” at the UMass Dartmouth Auditorium Oct. 26, 27, 28 and 29. Thursday, Friday and Saturday shows start at 8 p.m., while the Sunday show starts at midnight. Tickets are $10 for general admission, $7 for staff and alumni and $5 for students.