The JCCP – Pittsburgh’s Premiere Rocky Horror Picture Show Shadowcast
Pittsburgh: The Home of Rocky Horror
By the Junior Chamber of Commerce Players
For more than 40 years, the Junior Chamber of Commerce Players (JCCP) have built a safe place of unity, expression, and community through shadowcasting the cult film The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Throughout the years they have created a show in multiple places – The King’s Court, The Oaks, university theater spaces, backyards, bingo halls, and more recently, Row House Theater in Lawrenceville, The Carnegie Science Center on the North Shore, and The Hollywood in Dormont.
Shadowcasting is the performance of acting out what is going on onscreen of a movie as it runs at the exact same time. If a character raises their hand to wave goodbye, the shadowcaster will do so in time with the movie without looking. It is part pantomime, part play, and part improvisation.
In the Third Quarter 2018 issue of Marquee, Volume 50 Number 3, was a printed history of the cast pulled directly from the cast’s website written with the help of Jon Heiman. You can view that history as well as other aspects of the cast at steelcityrockyhorror.com. The pictures featured in the Marquee were taken by cast members Jennifer Springel of Springel Photography and Ryder Springel @sxeiscool. They spend their time and dedication to giving the cast wonderful photos and should be given credit. All photos on our sites are taken by members of the JCCP and are credited for their work.
The cast is not affiliated with one particular theater, but instead is a feature of the city of Pittsburgh. They perform year around and are constantly recruiting new people to be a part of the show. The cast and crew are volunteers only to the JCCP itself. Every person joined as a way to make friends, be accepted, and participate in something that brings them joy.
There are different aspects of the show that appeal to many people. The acceptance of different ways of living; particularly the acceptance of the queer community. The performance and production aspects–creating props and lighting, acting, self-expression, costuming, and the pure passion of creating a show strictly on a volunteer basis fulfills others. Many love the refrains echoing through the show: “Don’t dream it, be it.” Still others simply love to shout obscenities and throw things in a theater.
The show truly is something unlike any other. The JCCP put on a show that is memorable as well as addictive. You will never see the same show twice. The cast and crew share responsibilities and roles, constantly pushing themselves to learn and explore more. When the mood takes them, they even shadowcast other movies.
There are shadowcasts throughout the world; many of their members visited Pittsburgh for the Rocky Horror convention hosted by the JCCP. Putting a Pittsburgh spin on the convention, it was called YinzCon. The JCCP continued to show just how high caliber their performances are, as well as how welcoming they are as a group of people.
The JCCP is happy to talk to anyone about the show, the cast, and what new and exciting event is coming up next. One only has to look them up on social media (@jccppgh) or send an email jccppgh@gmail.com.
Feel free to message or to come to any of our shows – Let’s do the Time Warp Again!
