Over 500 people gathered at Edmond Town Hall for a sold-out screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show featuring a live shadow cast performance last weekend. The October 24 event was the second screening in recent weeks of the cult film — the 1975 horror comedy musical was also presented at the historic building on October 10 — but the later event featured the live shadow cast.

Dozens arrived early Saturday night to grab their seats, show off their heels, and take plenty of photos dressed as their favorite Rocky Horror characters. All this for a "wild and untamed" night, when the all-volunteer, western Massachusetts-based Come Again Players performed as a shadow cast alongside Rocky Horror.

A shadow cast is a group of people who dress up as characters, act out scenes, and use props to perform alongside a movie. It is a decades-long tradition in the Rocky Horror fandom. Come Again Players take their passion for the film and transform it into fun, chaotic interactive shows across western Massachusetts and Connecticut.

The stop at Edmond Town Hall was no exception. Anyone who had never seen Rocky Horror with a live shadow cast before was marked with a red V on their forehead.

Many attendees purchased a prop bag to interact with the show, excitedly throwing toast, waving glow sticks, and blowing noisemakers at the silliest possible moments (such as when a character died).

Audience participation is another staple of the Rocky Horror fandom, and is not limited to throwing toilet paper in the air. Whether someone purchased a prop bag or not, everyone got a chance to shout out ad-libs, or callbacks, in response to the movie.

After Come Again Players delighted everyone with a preshow, where they led everyone in dancing to "Chocolate (Choco Choco)" by Soul Control, Come Again Players Technical Director Matthew Jarrett took the stage. He hyped up the crowd, newbies and returning fans alike, to get excited, use their outside voices, and "punch up" at those in power with their callbacks.

The night was particularly special for several reasons. It not only marked the sixth consecutive year Edmond Town Hall has screened Rocky Horror, it was also the fifth consecutive year Come Again Players has performed at the venue.

It also marked the group's first performance in Newtown since the passing in August of Tim Curry, who played Rocky Horror's iconic mad scientist Frank-N-Furter.

Come Again Players paid tribute to Curry with a special article in the prop bag's newspaper; its headline read "Frank Has Gone Home." It stated Curry inspired many people to appreciate and to participate in theater, and that the Rocky Horror community they all cherish might not exist without Curry's incredible portrayal as Frank-N-Furter.

"This year, especially, be sure to 'rise for your queen!' and provide the standing ovation he deserves at the conclusion of this iconic — and apt — song that we hold dear," the article further noted.

Jarrett said they wrote the article to raise awareness for anyone who did not already know of Curry's passing.

"We won't make it too big of a deal, [Curry] will make his own big deal in the recording," Jarret said before the show. "He will live on into eternity ... Nobody can capture Tim Curry, but we will do our best, and we will ensure as a shadow cast that he is still up there, showing his beautiful face to everybody."

Through Come Again Players, Jarrett said he has been able to express his creative side in a way he is not able to with his real job.

"This helps speak to my soul and allow me and all the others who need it, which includes the audience members; they need that creative, artistic spark in their life to counteract the rest of the world right now," Jarrett said. "It allows us to be a different part of ourselves that's just as much a part of ourselves as the one we have to present day in and day out."

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Reporter Jenna Visca can be reached at jenna@thebee.com.